Out of Action
by GraceSolo
Summary: Don gets drugged with an unknown substance. Can his family hold it together long enough to discover how to cure him? Who heals the medic?
1. Prologue

Out of Action

Summary: Don get's drugged with an unknown substance. Can his family hold it together long enough to discover how to cure him?

Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT, this is just for fun.

Author's Note: This is my first chapter fic. Please let me know what you think, and how I can make it better. I do have several chapters already written, just need to type them up, so updates should be pretty quick.

Prologue

~~**~~**~~

_If you don't create change, change will create you._

~~**~~**~~

Don's Journal – Nov 2010

Months have passed since the incident at Winters' tower, and life has gone on for the most part. Leo and Raph seem to have come to some sort of truce. Although they still disagree about almost everything, the underlying anger about it has dissipated. Almost like they could finally agree to disagree. That was a great relief to Mikey and I. It almost felt like the past several years hadn't even happened.

Mikey quit the birthday party gig immediately. I guess he decided the money was not worth the pain. And, I think he enjoyed being home, now that Leo was back and Raph didn't sleep all day anymore. But no one said anything about it, we just let it be.

But, I kept my IT Support job, for now. The money was just too good. I think I have gotten used to having the extras, and it sure was nice. Nice to be able to buy groceries, and first aid supplies, and medication, without having to depend on scavenging, or April and Casey's generosity. Not that their continual gifts weren't appreciated, but it sure was pleasant to be able to stand on our own and support ourselves, for once.

I know my brothers wanted me to quit my job, but they never said anything to me about it. It was like the unspoken rule, I think they were enjoying all of the little, and not so little extras, that having money could provide. Like not having to worry where our next meal is coming from, or if we will have the medicine to heal any illness or injuries that might befall us.

That's another thing. Even though I worked 10 hour days on the IT job, I still went out every night for patrol and training. I did not get cut any slack, nor did I expect it. I would have been upset if my brothers thought that I could not handle myself in battle, just because I sat and talked on the phone for the majority of the day. That would be a great insult to me. Not to mention the added bonus of such a great stress relief at the end of very frustrating days, nothing like a training run to make you forget about some rude customers.

Well, like I said, it was all going quite well for us. It seemed like we were finally going to get some relief from the constant drama that was our life. Even the petty criminals seemed to be taking it easy those last few months.

Until the Foot attacked us while we were out on patrol one night. Guess it was too much to ask for the peace to last. Even after Karia's cryptic farewell message to us at the Winters Corp tower, we had all hoped that our rivalry with the Foot was a thing of the past. Guess we were wrong.

Just goes to show you that all good things must come to an end. Even I could not have fathomed what that attack would leave behind. My family was unprepared, to say the least.


	2. Chapter 1

_There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction. – Winston Churchill_

~~**~~**~~

One year earlier – Oct 2009

"No, sir…I had done all I can for you, sir…I will forward your trouble ticket to our warranty department, and they will be contacting you within the next two to four business days…yes, sir, please feel free to call me back if you do not hear back from them…"

Don's voice could be heard all the way into the living area of the lair, as he tried to finish up the last tech call of his shift. Leo was sitting on the couch next to Mikey, only half listening to the news on the TV, trying to see if Donny would be getting off the call anytime soon. They were already several hours late leaving for patrol tonight, and Raph had already left to meet up with Casey to get a head start.

Leo didn't like putting off patrol, but even though he was the leader, he felt like he couldn't say anything to Donny about working so many hours. After all, it was his paycheck and technical skills that provided almost all of the comforts they had in their home. Leo couldn't bring himself to complain, it would make him seem ungrateful for all that Donny did for their family.

Mikey did not seem to be bothered by the delay. He was immersed in his latest comic book, not concerned or noticing how late it had gotten. Mikey was used to Donny's odd hours from the two years that Leo was gone, in training in South America. He had learned to be patient with Donny's work schedule. After all, it only took one customer to have a bad problem to keep Don on the phone for hours. Mikey had learned over the past two and a half years to just ignore it, and patiently wait for Donny to come out from his computer lab.

After all, Donny had been very generous with his family. Not only did he make sure all of the necessities were taken care of, he had gotten several extras for their family, including brand new memory foam mattresses for each of them. All of the turtles enjoyed being able to sleep on their shells, it was a new and wonderful experience, as were the other comforts they now enjoyed.

"You're welcome, sir… Thank you for calling, goodbye," Donny sighed heavily, dropping his headset onto his desk and quickly signed out, turning off his computer. He raised his hands to rub his temples as he took several deep breaths.

"Are you alright in there?" Leo asked, from his place on the couch.

"Yeah, just give me a minute," Donny looked up. "I'll be right back," Donny got up from his chair and made his way to the bathroom to splash some water on his face and get some headache medication. That last call had been something else.

Mikey looked up from his comic. "He done?"

"I guess," Leo answered, "Get ready, I want to leave as soon as possible. We don't have much night left."

"No problem, Leo," Mikey jumped up from his slouched position on the couch. "Just say the word; I'm ready when you are." He quickly moved towards the door access to the sewers.

Leo sighed, "Okay, Mikey, let's give Donny a second, then we're leaving." He hoped Donny wasn't too tired after such a long work day. From what he had been able to hear, Donny had several bad calls in a row. Hopefully tonight wouldn't be too stressful.

Don looked up at himself in the mirror, water running off his face and hands. _Why do I even bother to put up with this abuse? Oh, yeah. The money. _He wondered if this was what humans felt. Burned out, in a seemingly dead-end job, too dependent on the paycheck to try to quit or move on, feeling trapped by the money they needed to earn to survive. _At least I don't have a bunch of bills to pay. Just 5 mouths to feed. And a wanton desire for shiny new parts that don't come from a junkyard._ He had to admit, it was nice to work with technology that was new, instead of second-hand or broken before he even got his hands on it.

_Not like anything stays unbroken in this house, between Raph and Mikey, I have loads of practice fixing things._ Don reached in the medicine cabinet for some Advil for his headache, which had been growing steadily worse all afternoon. _Well, no time like the present._ He felt guilty holding up the others, making patrol run so late, and rushed to dry his face. He left the bathroom to go to the dojo to retrieve his bo staff.

As Don walked out into the living room from the dojo, he saw that Mikey and Leo were already standing at the door, ready to leave. Don flipped his bo over the back of his hand and then tucked it up and over his shoulder, sliding it down his back until it caught on his belt. A gentle push and it easily slipped into the holster that holds it to his back.

"Ready?" Leo asked, Mikey bouncing on the balls of his feet, anxious to get going.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Don sighed, "Let's go."

"You sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, Leo, I'm good," Don replied. "Let's not keep Raph and Casey waiting any longer. Who knows what kind of trouble they've been able to find without us."

"Come on, Leo," Mikey spoke up. "I thought you were ready to go, so let's get to it!"

~~**~~**~~

_No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy._

~~**~~**~~

Thunder and rain collided with the sound of metal striking metal, and metal striking wood, on the rooftops of New York. Four brothers and one friend were surrounded by an apparently endless hoard of Foot ninja, fighting for their lives.

After catching up with Raph and Casey, the group had barely gone two blocks when they were ambushed by the Foot. Leo knew that the Foot must have been waiting for them to show, this was no ordinary patrol they just happened to stumble across. The Foot was here for a reason; Leo just did not know what that reason was, yet.

After not seeing or hearing anything from the Foot since the Winters' incident, months ago, it was a horrible surprise, to all of them. All four turtles fought as one, with Casey providing back up as needed.

As the fight continued, it became obvious that these Foot ninja were much better trained than those they had fought in the past.

"Is there no end to these guys?" Mikey called out to his brothers, fending off three ninja at once.

Raph called back, "The more the merrier, I've been itchin' for a good fight!" He smirked at the enemy he fought, swinging the knuckle of his sai up and hitting the ninja he was facing on the side of the head, knocking him out. He turned quickly to engage another ninja, trying to stay near his brothers.

Leo saw a lone ninja with what looked like a gun aiming at Don, who was too focused on fending off several ninja to see the danger. "Look out, Donny!" Leo cried out, too far away, and fighting off too many enemies of his own to watch Don's back.

Don heard the warning from his brother and pivoted on his left foot, swinging his bo staff around, trying to see what the danger was. He saw a massive flurry of darts flying towards him, and he tried to protect himself, spinning his bo to block the darts. But, his headache had blossomed into a full blown migraine, compromising his vision and reaction time.

Don was able to block most of the incoming darts, but three made it through his defenses to hit him on the arms and neck. Quickly pulling them out, he turned to fend off several ninja that thought he would be an easy target now. Don spun around with his bo parallel to the ground, knocking three Foot to the roof, causing the rest to back up, giving him some much needed breathing room.

Don staggered, trying to hold on, to not give in to whatever was in those darts. He shook his head, fighting off waves of dizziness, struggling to focus on his surroundings.

Leo attempted to get to Don's side, but he had a lot of opponents surrounding him, blocking him from helping his brother. Leo could see that Don was losing his fight against unconsciousness, blinking and shaking his head, looking very unsteady on his feet.

"Raph, get Don and get out of here," Leo called out, seeing that Raph was much closer that he was to Don's position.

Raph looked over to where Don was struggling to remain standing. "On it, Leo," he replied, powering through the seemingly endless sea of Foot. He reached Don just as Don fell to his knees, slumping over in unconsciousness. Raph caught him before his head hit the rooftop, swinging Don up on his shoulder, in a fireman carry.

Mikey and Casey joined Leo in clearing a path, keeping an escape route open for Raph and Don, trying not to get too far away from each other.

"Got 'em," Raph called, "Let's go!" Raph moved quickly through the cleared path his brother's had made and leapt to the next roof, holding tightly to his precious cargo. His brother's and Casey were quick to follow, blocking any Foot that tried to keep them from escaping.

As they made good on their retreat, Leo was surprised to see the Foot backing off. _This is really not normal behavior for the Foot, what is going on here?_ Leo was very concerned about this change. First the enemy is more skilled than usual, now they were being allowed to retreat without being followed? _Now is not the time to worry about this. Don's safety comes first, then I can get to figuring out what the Foot has planned._


	3. Chapter 2

_Sometimes, being good and lucky still isn't enough._

~~**~~**~~

Once Raph had Don settled onto the infirmary bed, with Master Splinter checking him over, Raph moved off into the living area to call April. With Don out of commission, April was the only person they had that could figure out what it was that Donny has been shot with. She could do some blood tests and see if there was anything seriously wrong with Donny.

Sometimes Raph wished he was more than the brawn of the group. At times like this, he felt worse than useless. Raph knew some basic first aid, they all did, but it was Donny that they all relied on when their injuries were worse than cuts and sprains. Don being drugged with who knows what was beyond his meager skills, even with the little bit of chemistry and such Don had been trying to teach him lately. He could do some basic lab assistant type stuff, but he didn't know where to start.

Even Splinter was at a loss, other than treating the symptoms, there was not much he could do until Donatello awoke. Splinter had knowledge of many herbal remedies, but most of them had to be ingested using a healing tea. Donatello did not even have that many visible injuries, just a few minor cuts and bruises, much less than usual after such a fight, and none of his tea's would do any good until Donatello was awake to drink them.

Leo, Mikey, and Casey returned to the lair, after taking the long way home to make sure they were not followed and had their wounds treated. They gathered in the infirmary with Splinter to relay the nights events.

"Sensei, the Foot is back," Leo stated, going into detail about how they were ambushed and Don was rendered unconscious. "I saw one of them aiming a tranq gun at Donny, but I could not do anything about it!"

"Leo, there was nothing you could have done," Raph stated. "I saw it, too, but we were all too far away to help."

Mikey chimed in, "I saw that shell-head shoot several dozen darts at Donny, how many hit him?"

"Only three, my sons," Splinter reassured them. "It seems Donatello was able to avoid most of those darts."

They all looked up at the sound of the lair's door opening. April hurried in, ready to do all she could to help her adopted family. "What's happened, guys, what did they hit him with?"

"We were hoping you could tell us," Leo said. "We have no idea what they hit him with, but whatever it was, he got three shots of it, and he fell unconscious within about half a minute."

"Well, let me get a blood sample and start analyzing these darts, and we'll see what we're dealing with." April said with a smile, moving around the infirmary to gather the supplies she needed. "Master Splinter, I'm going to hook Don up to a couple of monitors so we can keep an eye on his vitals while I get to work, Okay?"

"Thank you, Miss O'Neil, your assistance is most appreciated," Splinter replied, moving back to Donatello's side to give April more room to work.

"What can we do to help?" Raph asked, not liking feeling like he was in the way.

"Yeah, April," Mikey added, "What do you need?"

"Well, let me check Don's vitals real quick and I'll see what we need to do from there, guys." April looked at the three brothers, seeing the obvious concern written on all of their faces. She knew that it was not often that Donny was the one laying in the infirmary, and she knew none of them liked it.

Leo watched April work, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his plastron. He couldn't help but feel that it should have been him unconscious on that bed, not Donny. He was supposed to protect his bothers and he felt like he has failed Donny by not stopping this. Leo sighed, pushing up from the door frame. "I'll start some tea. Anyone else want anything?"

"Start some coffee, too, please," April asked, "I have a feeling that it's going to be a long night."

"No problem, April." Leo turned and headed towards the kitchen to start the drinks. Mikey and Raph shared a glance. Mikey bobbed his head toward the doorway that Leo had disappeared through and Raph nodded in agreement. Raph moved to follow Leo.

Raph walked into the kitchen and saw Casey and Leo both sitting at the table. Casey was looking at Leo and glanced up, seeing Raph. Casey shrugged his shoulders, stood up from the table and let Raph take his seat. Casey moved to the living room and sat on the couch and turned on the TV.

"There's nothing ya could have done, Leo," Raph said, startling Leo into looking up at him. "So you can quit blamin' yourself."

"I saw that Foot ninja, I could have stopped him," Leo replied, looking back down at the table, unable to meet Raph's eyes.

"How do ya figure that, Fearless?"

"I don't know," Leo sighed. "Donny shouldn't be lying in there, it's not right."

"I know how ya feel," Raph agreed. "It's not often brainiac get's hurt, huh?"

"Yeah, just doesn't seem right, is all, I guess," Leo looked up at Raph. "How are you holding up?"

"Don't worry about me, Leo" Raph cut him off with a wave of his hand. "I'll be fine."

"I hope that stuff Don got hit with was only a tranq," Leo mussed.

"Well, guess we'll just have ta wait and see, huh?" Raph said.

"I'm surprised you aren't reacting worse to all this, Raph," Leo said with a smirk.

"Well, it won't do much good ta be mad right now, would it?" Raph cocked his head to the side, looking at Leo with an odd look. "I'd think you'd be happy I'm not kickin' the livin' daylights out of anything right now."

"I am, don't get me wrong, it's just a surprise, is all," Leo smiled at his brother. "Guess I was wrong about you, Raph."

"Hang on, let me write this down," Raph chuckled. "The great and powerful Leonardo is wrong! I must be dreamin'"

"Laugh it up," Leo said with a smile, "I'm not too proud to admit when I am wrong, you know. It just doesn't happen that often." They shared a small laugh before the severity of the current situation in the infirmary came crashing back down on them both. "I hope Donny going to be okay."

"Me too, brotha', me too."

~~**~~**~~

April came out of the infirmary followed by Master Splinter. Mikey stayed behind to keep watch over Don, while April went to tell the rest of the family what she had discovered.

"Guys," April said with a sigh, "I've finished the first round of tests on Don's blood."

"What did you find, April?" Leo asked, walking over to her, followed closely by Raph and Casey. Leo did not like the defeated look on Splinter's face.

"Well, those darts were no ordinary tranqs," April went and sat at the table, dropping her head into her hands. "Whatever it was, it's put Don in a coma, and it doesn't look good."

"What?!?" Leo's eyes went wide.

"No way!" Casey took a step back, turning to look at Raph, hoping he wouldn't blow up.

"I'll kill 'em for what did they did to Donny!" Raph's hands gripped his sai, as he started pacing back and forth. Splinter moved to put a hand on Raph's arm, stilling his pacing.

"Guys, I still have more extensive test to run, but I'm going to need some more supplies," April added, raising her arms to halt the raised voices.

"Whatever you need, April," Leo said with a hard look on his face. "Just tell us what you need."

"Well, Don loaned me his phase contrast microscope last week, and I need to get it from my apartment," April said. "And I need some more chemical compounds to test the darts and figure out what exactly he was injected with, if I'm going to even attempt to find a cure."

"I'll drive the guy's to your apartment," Casey volunteered. "It's getting light out, and it'll be easier to tote back that stuff in the van."

"Where can we get those compounds for you, April?" Leo asked, already worried that they wouldn't be able to get what they needed to help his brother.

"Casey can get them from the surplus warehouse over on 29th," April informed them. "I'll make up a list." She turned back to the table and pulled over a notepad to start writing down everything she needed.

Splinter looked at Raph, seeming to have an entire silent conversation with his hot-tempered son. Raph took a deep breath, and nodded to Splinter. "I'll sit with Donny. You can take Mikey with you, Leo," Raph announced, to the surprise of everyone, except Splinter. Raph was not usually one to sit by while one of his brothers was injured; especially when he could have been doing something productive, like a supply run.

"Okay, Raph," Leo agreed, making eye contact with Raph. "Send Mikey out, and we'll go as soon as April finishes making that list."

"Yeah, the sooner we go, the sooner we're back," Casey added, ready to get moving now that he had something to do to help.

Raph went back across the living area to the infirmary to relieve Mikey and send him out to go on the supply run. Mikey was surprised to hear that Raph had volunteered to stay behind. "Go on Mikey, I got this," Raph reassured him.

"Okay, bro, whatever you say," Mikey looked at Raph, wondering why he was doing this. "We'll be back in a flash, no worries. April will figure it out." Mikey put his hand on Raph's shoulder, giving him a small squeeze of reassurance, then made his way out into the living area to join the supply run.

"Alright, here's what I need," April said with a deep breath. "Go to my apartment first, guys, the warehouse doesn't open for another hour."

"Great, April thanks," Leo took the list from April's hand and turned to face Splinter. "Sensei, do you need anything while we are out?"

"No, my son," Splinter answered, shaking his head. "Just use caution, daylight is not that far away."

"Yes, Sensei," Leo bowed his head in agreement.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come?" April asked, worriedly.

"We got this," Mikey said, confidently. "No sweat, dudette! Donny taught us how to read chemical labels ages ago."

"Only so you wouldn't blow yourself up messing around," Leo said with a small smile. "Let's go, guys," Leo started for the door, grabbing his trench coat and hat as he went. "Don needs us to hurry."

Mikey and Casey hurried to follow, Mikey swiping his topside gear as he ran, flashing April and Splinter a small smile as he rushed past. "We'll be back before you know it!"

~~**~~**~~

Raph sat on the edge of the chair beside the bed Donny was lying on. He put his elbows on his knees, holding his chin in his hands, not taking his eyes off his prone brother's form. "Donny, you've gotta wake up," Raph said quietly. "We need ya more than ya know," he said with a sigh, palming his face.

Why couldn't it have been him that was targeted? Donny would have known what to do. April was great, but Donny had made it his life's work to know how to help his family, no matter what was thrown at them. Raph didn't know how much April really knew about the poisons and tranquilizers that the Foot liked to use. He was worried that she might miss something because she was not familiar with what the Foot usually tried to use on his family.

Raph took another deep breath. There was nothing he hated more than feeling helpless, especially when one of his brothers needed help. He wanted to storm Foot Headquarters and get back at whoever had done this to his brother, but he couldn't. Not right now, for now his brother needed him, and he was not going to fail him again. No matter how much he wanted to go tear into his punching bag right now, he was going to stay here and watch over Donny, like he should have been doing on that rooftop, an hour ago.

Raph removed the wet cloth from Donny's forehead and rewet it in the bowl of cool water on the table beside the bed. Replacing the cloth, Raph looked over the many bandages on Donny's arms and legs. None of his injuries were serious, except for whatever was in those darts that had pushed his brother into a coma.

Raph could feel his anger rising again at the memory of Donny trying to defend himself from that cloud of darts that were shot at him. Raph took another deep breath and let it out slowly. Now was not the time. He could not lose control again, like he had with Leo on that rooftop several months ago. He would not fail another brother, not even if it killed him.


	4. Chapter 3

_A sympathetic friend can be quite as dear as a brother. – Homer_

~~**~~**~~

April used the time she was waiting for the guys to return to clear off a space in Donny's lab, so she could work. She sent a silent apology to Donny for moving his projects without permission. She knew how picky he was about people touching his stuff, but she felt that he would forgive her, given the circumstances, this time.

_Better to ask forgiveness, than permission._ She thought with a rueful smile. Once she had cleared off one side of his counter space, she turned to the library he had on the bookshelves on the back wall. She started pulling out the medical and chemistry reference books she thought she would need. After gathering about fifteen large reference books, she began to make notes in a fresh notebook on what she had discovered so far, trying not to think about the fact that one of her best friends was lying in the next room in a coma, and it was up to her to figure out a way to help him, before it was too late. _No pressure, right? Here goes nothing._

April started flipping through the medical reference books she had selected, thinking about what she knew about Donny's condition. She was trying to focus on the problem and not on the consequences if she failed. Looking at the blood sample she had collected from Donny a few minutes ago under the basic microscope Donny had in his lab again, she took a deep breath.

At first glance, there was not anything obviously wrong. There was an average count of red to white blood cells, and everything seemed to be in order. It didn't look like his immune system was trying to fight off an infection, virus, or any sort of poison. But the red cells were too light. Normally, when blood is exposed to oxygen, the red cells would become saturated with oxygen and turn a dark red color. But Donny's red cells did not turn as dark as they should have. It looked like there was some other substance saturating his blood, and stopping the red cells from absorbing the oxygen. This was the only sign April had that this was not an average tranquilizer or knock out drug.

She just didn't know where to start on analyzing what it possibly could be. And Donny could be running out of time. She just did not have enough information to start figuring out what to do. Without the more powerful microscope the guys were fetching from her apartment, there was not a lot she could do at this point, besides keeping an eye on Donny's vital signs.

She blew her bangs out of her eyes in frustration. _I hope those darts hold the answer to this riddle._ April took out a fresh test tube and transferred the rest of Donny's blood sample to the clean tube, placing it in Donny's centrifuge. _That should be ready by the time the guys get back with those supplies._

April hoped that she was smart enough to figure this out. Medicine was not her field of knowledge. She was an engineer, not a doctor or lab tech. She did not want to think of what the stakes were if she failed.

Splinter settled into his recliner in the living area to meditate. He knew his son was in good hands. He had a great deal of faith in Miss O'Neil's skills and in Donatello's will to live. If there was a solution, he was sure that she would find it. Splinter was also very proud of Raphael. He was surprised that Raphael had decided to stay and watch over Donatello. He had only intended to calm Raphael's anger to keep him from doing anything rash, but this was a nice surprise.

Splinter had noticed, over these last few months, since Leonardo's capture and rescue, Raphael seemed to have a much better control over his anger and was not as prone to uncontrollable outbursts, as he had been in the past. Whether was a result of Leonardo's capture or not, he did not know, but it was a most welcome change in behavior, none the less.

Splinter sank into a deep meditative state, to see if he could reach Donatello's spirit and help him in any way he could, and encourage his son to not give up hope. He slowed his breathing, clearing his mind, and reached out to his injured son. He sent out feelers, trying to locate Donatello on the spiritual plane, looking for his unique presence. He was able to get a vague, faint sense of his son, but it was as if a thick fog was blocking him from reaching Donatello, and he could not penetrate it. He could not tell if his son was in pain or even if he was aware of his father's attempts to contact him. Splinter resolved not to give up, and reached again, putting forth more effort and energy into reaching his son. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get through that fog blocking him.

Splinter came out of his meditation to the sound of the lair's door opening, admitting his remaining two sons and Mr. Jones, returning with the supplies. Splinter resolved to make time later to try again. But first, he needed to see what could be done for Donatello's physical wounds, and then he would worry about helping his son with any spiritual ailments.

~~**~~**~~

Leo and Mikey came through the door, cradling a large object, wrapped in several blankets and quilts. They carefully made their way down the stairs and over to Donny's lab area. "Where do you want this, April," Leo asked, moving slowly, as they neared the lab.

"Over here is fine, guys," April said, motioning to the cleared counter space in the lab.

"Ohh, Donny's gonna kill you," Mikey smiled, seeing the cleared space. "Big no-no touching Donny's stuff!!"

"I know, Mikey," April replied, trying not to laugh. "But, I think he'll forgive me, this once."

Casey followed the turtles down the stairs, burden with multiple bags. "Don't worry about me, I got this," he said sarcastically.

"Do you require assistance Mr. Jones," Splinter asked from his place on the recliner.

Casey had the sense to blush and look away, "No, Master Splinter, I can handle this, sorry."

"As you wish," Splinter said with a hidden smile.

Leo helped April unwrap and set up the large microscope while Mikey turned to help Casey with the bags of supplies. "I sure hope Donny doesn't mind how much money we spent of his getting all this stuff," Leo said with a slight frown on his face. "Those chemical tests were more expensive than I thought they would be."

"I'll reimburse Don, don't worry," April placed her hand on Leo's arm to ease his worry. "I knew how much it would be, I'll transfer some money to his account later."

"Yeah, Leo, give it a rest, already," Mikey added. "Don't we have enough to worry about without you freakin' out over how much money we spent?"

"Sorry, guys, I just… It's not ours to spend, is all," Leo explained, looking down at his hands.

"It'll be okay, Leo," April squeezed his arm in understanding. "He'll get through this, you'll see. Now, let's get to work, okay?" April turned and started unpacking the tests that she had them buy, setting them up on the counter in the order that she would need them.

"Can we help, April?" Mikey asked with a hopeful look on his face.

"Sure, Mikey," April saw how anxious they all looked. "I could use some more coffee, and I'm sure we could all use some breakfast."

"Breakfast, coming right up!" Mikey practically bounced over to the kitchen, relieved to have something to occupy his mind and hands.

"I'll go help," Casey said. "I'm no good with all this brain stuff." He moved over to the kitchen, joining Mikey in fixing some food for everyone.

Leo and April shared a look at Casey's retreat. Leo turned towards the infirmary's door. "I think I'll go relieve Raph," Leo started towards the doorway. "He probably is tired of just sitting there."

"Leo," April started to say something, but stopped when she saw the look on Leo's face. "Okay, but I did put an extra chair in there so more than one person could sit with Don."

"Thanks, April," Leo said gratefully. "Maybe I can get him to come and help you. He's better at this delicate stuff than I am."

"Right." April watched him hesitate at the doorway, and then she turned back to the counter to start the first rounds of tests on the compound from the darts. _Let's get this show on the road, shall we._ April squared her shoulders and gathered her courage. It sure was a good thing that Mikey has the foresight to grab one of the unused, full darts from that rooftop before they fled the scene. It gave her a lot more leeway and options with so much of the unknown substance readily available. She didn't want to think about what she would have done if she had only been able to run tests on the residue of the empty darts. _Guess all those movies gave him a good idea, for once._ Regardless of the why or how, she was grateful.


	5. Chapter 4

~~**~~**~~

_It is always the darkest before the dawn._

~~**~~**~~

Raph looked up from studying Don's face to watch Leo sit in the chair on the other side of the bed. "Any problems getting the stuff April needed?"

"No, everything went smoothly, for once," Leo said with a small smile. "April is starting the chemical tests on the contents of those darts, and she needs a hand. You think you could help her, Raph?"

"Yeah, I'll go help. Don's been showing me some stuff lately." Raph stood and stretched his neck, looking back at Don. "Keep an eye on his vital signs, will ya? April said it's important to let her know if his heart rate or oxygen levels change."

"I will, Raph, don't worry." Leo looked up at Raph, "Just see what you can do to help April, please. The faster we know what he was hit with…"

"Yeah," Raph palmed his face, "the faster we fix this." Raph turned and walked out of the infirmary area, concern evident on his face and in his heavy steps.

As Raph walked up to the counter where April was working, Mikey called out to his family. "Breakfast is ready guys!" Mikey appeared in the doorway to the lab with a tray of tea and coffee. "Drinks for the geeks," Mikey joked, trying to lighten the mood.

April reached for a fresh mug of coffee with a small smile. "Thanks, Mikey. What'd you cook?"

"Eggs and toast, I didn't think anyone would be in the mood for anything too heavy." Mikey looked at Raph, "You want some food, guys? I'll bring ya a tray so you don't have to stop working."

"Sure, Mikey, I'll take a plate," Raph answered, moving to the counter to start a set of chemical tests. "Why don't you ask Leo, while you are over here? Save yourself a trip."

"Okay, Raph," Mikey replied. "April? You gonna have anything other than coffee?"

"Alright, I'll take a plate too, a small one," April turned back to the digital microscope the guys had brought back from her apartment. "I'm not really that hungry, though."

Mikey bounced over to the infirmary to give Leo some tea and see if he wanted anything to eat, as well. Raph and April were quickly absorbed in the tests they were running, ignoring the whispers of conversation in the rest of the lair. They knew that time was against them, and that every second counted.

Raph tried to recall everything Don had been teaching him about chemistry and how to run the chemical analysis tests. Raph had started learning about tranqs and other drugs after the last time he was shot with a tranq dart by the Foot clan several months ago. He wanted to be ready for the next time, so he wouldn't feel so useless.

~~**~~**~~

Splinter watched as Casey Jones and Michelangelo moved around in the kitchen fixing everyone a plate of eggs and toast. Splinter was glad that Michelangelo had found something to occupy himself with; it was never a good thing for him to be bored, especially when one of his brothers was injured. Mr. Jones was helping keep him busy, not so much helping fix the plates, but just being in the room with him so he wouldn't be alone. It warmed Splinter's heart to know that his family had such good friends.

Splinter got up from his place on the recliner and made his way over to the lab to see what he could do to help. "Is there anything I can do to assist you, April?"

"Oh, Master Splinter," April looked up from the printout she was studying. "Not right now, we're just waiting for the last of the test results to come back. I'll let you know when we find something."

"So you have learned nothing new as of yet?" Splinter looked from April to his son, Raphael.

"No, Sensei," Raph sighed, looking over at his father. "All we've been able ta do is figure out what it's not. It seems ta be some kinda cocktail, and we're tryin' ta narrow down what it could be."

"I have great faith in you both, and your ability to solve this mystery," Splinter encouraged as Mikey and Casey approached them with a tray laden with food. "Please, take a moment to nourish yourselves, so you may work on this problem with a clear head, unhindered from hunger."

"Yes, Sensei" Raph gave him a small half bow, and moved to take his and April's plate from the tray so that Mikey could take Leo his share.

Casey came up behind April and took her two empty coffee mugs. "You wanna refill, babe?"

"That would be great, Casey, thanks," April gave him a smile, turning back to the paperwork. She blew her bangs up out of her eyes and motioned to Raph, as she quickly ate her food. "Hand me that sample of Don's blood from the centrifuge, would you?"

"K, here ya go," Raph went to the other side of the lab and got the test tube out for April. "Ya want me ta separate it for ya, or what?"

"I want to look at the white blood cell count again," April explained. "You want to start that for me? Do you know how to get that?"

Raph started gathering the supplies he would need. "Ya, April, I got this," He said confidently, glad that he knew enough to be helpful.

As Mikey and Splinter left them to keep working, Casey came back with the fresh coffee for April. "Hey Raph, I got you a soda while I was in the kitchen."

"Thanks, Case man, 'preciate it," Raph took the soda and downed half of the can in one drink, taking the latest printout from the computer analyses, looking it over while he finished eating his breakfast.

Casey turned to leave, "You guys need anything else?"

"Nah, we're good," Raph answered for them both. "This just takes time."

"Unfortunately," April muttered under her breath with a gusty sigh.

"Well, holler if ya need anything," Casey said as he left to join Mikey and Master Splinter on the couch.

"Look at this, April," Raph called out, reading out loud from the most recent test results. "There's succinylcholine and popecuronium in these darts, along with some other stuff. I'll start the next test, if you'll look these two up."

April flipped through the medical reference books she had out, looking up the compounds Raph mentioned. "Oh no, this is not good," April started towards the bed where Donny lay in a coma, still reading the reference book. "Those are both neuromuscular blockers. Listen to this- _Because neuromuscular blockers may paralyze muscles required for breathing, mechanical ventilation should be available to maintain adequate respiration. _We need to get the life support and oxygen equipment out. He could stop breathing on his own."

"Let's get this set up, quick-like," Raph replied hurrying to Don's side. "Leo, I need ya ta move, I gotta hook this up."

"What's going on? What did you find?" Leo was starting to panic when he saw the worry on their faces.

"Don's got a couple of powerful drugs in him, that can cause him to stop breathing," April explained as she moved about the room, hooking up the oxygen tank to the mask Donny had especially made for the turtle's odd shaped beaks. "We need to make sure that doesn't happen. This is just a precaution, Leo."

She tried to keep Leo from worrying too much, but she was busy trying to control her own panic, the warning she had read repeating over and over in her mind. _ Paralyze muscles required for breathing, mechanical ventilation, maintain adequate respiration._

"Leo, go get Master Splinter," Raph ordered, setting up the life support equipment and monitors Don had made himself. "We're gonna need two people watchin' him at all times until we can figure out what all we're dealin' with."

"Sure, be right back," Leo practically ran out of the room, terrified that something bad was going to happen while he was gone.

"We're in over our heads, aren't we, April?" Raph looked up from the readouts of Don's vital signs to meet April's worried gaze, once Leo was out of earshot.

"I think you may be right, Raph," April shed a small tear. "There are just too many variables, what else have we missed?" She shook her head, squaring her shoulders, determined not to lose it while her near-brother needed her to stay calm. "We have _got_ to finish the chemical tests. God only knows what else was in those darts. Neuromuscular blockers wouldn't have put him in a coma, we're still missing something."

"Okay, April," Raph tried to reassure her, "as soon as Leo and Splinter are in here, we'll get back ta the tests." He didn't want to let on how worried he really was, this was getting very serious, very quickly, and he did _not_ want to know what else could go wrong.

"Your right, one step at a time," April took a deep breath, relaxing slightly as Splinter and Leo came back into the infirmary. "Okay, here's what you need to watch for…" She gave the two of them a crash course on monitoring Don's vitals and what to watch for, and what was a cause for alarm. "Raph and I are going to finish the tests and try to figure this out as quickly as we can. He will probably stay in this coma for several hours, if what we've found so far is the worst of it."

"So there is still hope for a full recovery?" Splinter was very concerned at this turn of events. It looked like Donatello was getting worse, not better, with all this additional equipment around him.

"Well, both of the drugs we found so far have a half life, and his system will flush them out eventually, but we need to make sure there is nothing else that we've missed. There just isn't any way to tell right this second. Sorry," April replied, "I wish I had better news, but, there is defiantly still hope, at this point. Don't give up, this should just be temporary." She twisted her hands against each other, not wanting to leave Donny's side.

"Back to work, April," Raph took April's arm and guided her back to the lab's counter. "They can handle this for a few hours; Mikey and Casey will both take turns on watch, too. You and I are the only ones who can run these tests. Let them do what they can, while we do our part." Raph said reassuringly, trying to keep his mind off of the fact that he wanted to sit with Don just as much as she did. Not being beside his brother was killing him, but doing the tests was much more helpful than sitting on his rear, worrying.

"Let's finish this, now," April said, with a renewed sense of urgency. Who knew what other horrifying drugs were in this cocktail. She only could hope that they could figure it out before something really horrible happened. She only could hope that she wasn't going to lose a brother before this was over.

~~**~~**~~


	6. Chapter 5

AN: Sorry about the wait, guys. Real life reached up and grabbed me by the neck. Here is the next part…it is more of an introspective character study without much dialogue, but it's necessary for the next part. Hope you like it, and thanks for all the great reviews, guys. Please let me know what you think!!

~~**~~**~~

_For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else. – Ralph Waldo Emerson_

~~**~~**~~

It had been three days since the turtles had returned to their home with an injured brother. Needless to say, spirits were low. April and Raph worked tirelessly to discover what drugs had been used on Donatello, only to find a mirage of man-made and herbal nerve blockers and muscle relaxers. The cocktail had put Donny in a coma almost immediately, and a few hours into their research, onto life support, his respiratory system unable to continue functioning on its own with all of the drugs in his bloodstream.

The family was taking shifts watching over their fallen member, trying not to lose hope with every hour that passed without him waking or showing any signs of improvement. April had assured them that the drugs would wear off in time, but the length of time was still a mystery. With the crazy combination of drugs they had found in those darts, not to mention the fact that he had three doses at once of them, she could not even begin to guess how long Don would be out like this. She was very thankful that Don was still alive at this point, and made sure she told everyone what a miracle that was, trying to keep their hopes up.

Casey and Raph had made a second topside run to restock their medical supplies, as they were running low on IV fluids and oxygen. The cost of these items was not even a consideration to the family. Whatever it took, even procuring without paying, would be done to care for Donatello. There was no need to even discuss this; it was understood by each of them. They could not imagine doing anything less.

Raph did not know how much longer he could keep hanging around the lair. He was itching to storm Foot headquarters and pound on whoever was responsible for Don's current condition. He spent the time he was not sitting with Donny trying to beat the sand out of his punching bag in the dojo. It was all he could do to control the boiling fury he felt every time he looked at all of the equipment keeping his brainy brother alive. Feeling this rage was nothing new, but now he was trying his best to control it, and not let it control him. He had no other option at this point. His family needed him to stay calm, and he would not allow himself to fail them again.

~~**~~**~~

Mikey never did well when one of his brothers was hurting. Nevertheless, Mikey was not afraid to do his share in caring for his injured brother. He did not mind in the least sitting at Donny's bedside or fixing meals for his distracted family. Seeing Donny lying on the bed in their makeshift infirmary, which Donny himself had built, shook Mikey more than he was willing to admit.

Mikey looked up from eyeing the various monitors attached to his brother's prone form. Across the bed, Master Splinter sat in the other chair, sharing this shift with Mikey. It looked like Splinter was in a deep meditative state again, monitoring Don in his own way.

Splinter was still searching for Donatello's spirit, the fog that surrounded his son's presence thinning slightly. He was wary about confessing his difficulties in reaching Donatello to his remaining sons. He did not want to be the cause of any additional worry on their part. They were concerned enough with just the physical issues Donatello was suffering through, without adding to their burden.

As Splinter sent his energy out towards his son again, he was gripped by a vision that he could not control…

_A great, tall oak tree stood on a lonely hill, a large silhouette against the crystal clear, blue sky. It has stood there for hundreds of years, shading the hill, protecting those who sought its sheltering embrace, making anyone who stood under its wide, shading branches feel safe from the world. The mighty tree's roots went deep into the ground, clutching the hill like great fingers curling into a mighty fist, giving the impression that nothing could ever uproot it._

_As Splinter watched, the sky darkened, black billowing clouds rolling in to blot out the light from the sun. Lightning flashed as a great wind carried the heavy, beating rain across the hill to pound against the grand oak. _

_Leaves trembled, trying frantically to hold on, to not fall off the life giving veins of their branches. The topmost branches shook and swayed; the powerful wind and rain twisting and trying to break the imposing tree._

_A giant finger of light and power reached down from the clouds striking the tree, splitting the great oak down the center, with a mighty crash. The ground shook and the sky screamed, showing their grief, sharing in the pain of the oak. The wind gentled down and the rain faded away, black clouds rolling back as if they were never there._

_Splinter approached the downed monolith, without knowing why. The corpse of the tree lay broken in half, still smoldering with the leftover energy of the power that destroyed it. He looked into the trunk as if into the mouth of a dark, black tunnel. _

_The trunk was only an empty shell; its heart had rotted away long ago. As tall and proud as the oak had appeared on the outside, there had been a great weakness at its heart, causing it to be unable to stand the forces that attacked it._

The vision flashed out of being quickly, jerking Splinter out of his meditation with a quiet gasp of breath. Splinter closed his eyes and took several deep breaths to get his rapid heartbeat back under control. It had been many years since a vision had jolted him this severely. He did not know what the meaning of this vision was, but he knew there was a reason it had been shown to him while he was searching out his son. He would have to meditate further to try and discern the meaning of such disturbing imagery, and how it related to Donatello's presence and wellbeing.

He quickly glanced up, looking at both of his sons, checking on them. One was lying on the bed, the other sitting on the other side of the bed. Both were injured, Michelangelo's injuries were less obvious, but no less severe than Donatello's, even if they were only injuries to his spirit. All of his sons were suffering due to this unfortunate event, and Splinter only hoped that he would be able to help all four of his precious sons heal from this tragedy.

As Splinter centered himself after such a violent ending to his meditation, Leonardo came walking into the infirmary to take over for Michelangelo. Mikey looked over at Leo, shoulders pulled down by the force of his sadness. Leo moved to stand beside him, placing his hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Leo tried to sound positive. "He'll be ok, Mikey. Remember what April said. Once his body flushes out the drugs, he should wake up."

"Yeah," Mikey looked down at his hands, clasped tightly in his lap. "I just wish he would hurry up and wake up. He should be getting better by now!" He half sobbed, trying his hardest not to break down and cry in front of them. He tried to be strong, but the last three days of wondering and not knowing if his brother would ever wake up or not, was starting to take its toll. Mikey did not know if he would ever smile again, if he lost one of his brothers like this.

"Donatello's condition is not becoming any worse, and that is a great victory in itself, as well you know, my sons," Splinter said from his side of the sick bed, eyes flicking back and forth between all three of his sons. "Once his body and spirit are sufficiently healed, he will wake. You must have faith. Donatello's spirit is strong, as is his will to live. Patience and loving care will help him the most, at this point. Do not lose hope simply because so much time has passed. He will return to us when he is ready, and not before."

Mikey stood from his place, wiping furiously at the few tears that had escaped his eyes. He waved Leo to his vacated chair as he moved towards the doorway leading to the rest of the lair. "I…I've got…I need to…start dinner, Sensei. Please excuse me," he bowed out of the room without waiting to be dismissed.

Splinter sighed, watching his youngest son's hasty retreat from the room. He feared that they all would need much time to recover from this, once Donatello recovered himself. Turning to his eldest son, he took another deep breath to prepare to try and help Leonardo as best he could. He knew Leonardo was suffering more than he let on.

When he chose Leonardo to be the leader, Splinter had placed the great responsibility of the safety of his brothers on his young shoulders. The weight of that responsibility was obvious in the slope of his shoulders and the drawn tightness around his eyes. Splinter could only hope that this weight did not crush him, and that he could help his eldest son bear up against this burden.

Leo took a moment to look over the equipment that was working to keep his brainy brother alive. If he didn't know better, he would think that he was looking at a scene from a TV show, all of the beeping and humming machines, so similar to those he and his brother had seen in the hospital shows Mikey liked to watch. Whatever stroke of luck or fate that had made Donny worry so much about his family as to build, scavenge, or make from scratch all of these devices, Leo would never know. But he was immensely grateful that Donny had the foresight and skill to make them, regardless. Even though none of his family had, before this, ever needed such extensive medical treatment, it was a great relief to Leo that Donny cared so much about his family to try and be so prepared for anything that might happen to them.

It just proved to Leo, once again, how much Donny really cared about his family, and how seriously Donny approached the unvoiced job of being the family doctor. Even though Don would deny that he knew enough about medicine to be called a doctor, Don was all this small family had, and he took that responsibility and obligation very seriously. More so than even Leo had previously known he did.

Leo had no idea before this that Don had acquired so many difference medical devices and supplies. Leo had hardly ever needed more than stitches or an ice pack from the infirmary since his return from training, and was flabbergasted at the extensive supplies and medical reference materials Don had acquired, while Leo had been gone, in order to take care of their family. It was like someone had plucked an ER out of a hospital and moved it to their lair.

Shaking his head to try and clear it of these random thoughts, Leo finished looking over Donny's vitals and made notes on the tablet April had left on the table beside the bed. She wanted to keep track of everything, just in case, so that she could monitor his recovery, such as it was. Leo did not know what the family would do if Donny did not wake from this chemical induced coma soon.

There was an incense bowl, filled with crushed leaves, on the bedside table, as well, contents smoldering with a small stream of smoke curling up to the ceiling. Splinter was using thimbleweed in the incense, to try and bring Donatello out of unconsciousness, as well as a root poultice on his chest of maypop, horseradish, and senecas snake root to ease his breathing. Both April and Splinter were wary of giving Don any man-made drugs. With the massive amounts already in his bloodstream, they were relying on herbal remedies' of inhaled herbs and topical poultices to treat what symptoms they could, until he came out of the coma and could drink the healing teas Splinter would make him.

Leo adjusted the blankets covering Don up to his waist, trying to control his fear and sense of failing his brother. _Please, Donny, get better soon. We're starting to fall apart without you. _Leo sat in the chair, folding his hands into his lap, ignoring the inquiring look from his sensei, settling in to watch over his genius brother, as long as he needed him.

~~**~~**~~


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Now we finally get to see some of Donny's point of view. Please let me know what you think, reviews feed the author! As always, I own nothing.

~~**~~**~~

_A mind at peace, a mind centered and not focused on harming others, is stronger than any physical force in the universe. – Wayne Dyer_

~~**~~**~~

Don became aware of his own thoughts slowly, as if he was no longer in charge of what went on in his own head. He fought through a swirling, unfathomable fog that was blocking him from summoning the strength to fight back, to take back control of his own mind._ How long have I been here, in this limbo? Why can't I think clearly? What happened? I know this is not where I should be. Something is missing…something familiar… Why do I feel like I should be able to figure this out, that I should know this?_

Physical sensation was slowly returning, as Don became more alert to how he felt._ Pain, pain is good, I guess. I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all. Feeling pain means I'm alive, which is a good thing. Why am I in pain? What happened to me? Where am I? I feel like I'm rotting from the inside out. Why do I feel so heavy? Why can't I move? It hurts to try to breathe._

Don could feel the pressure of air being forced in and out of his lungs. He didn't have control over his breathing, and that concerned him. _I'm on oxygen…wait, no, that's not right…the pressure is wrong for that…I'm on a ventilator…life support? _His analytical mind was slowly coming back to him, the suffocating fog lifting slightly, memories quickly coming back as he was able to take in the sensations his body was feeling.

_Okay, calm down, don't panic, one step at a time. First let's try figuring out where I am. Then I can worry about what happened._

Don struggled to open his eyes, the harsh light of the infirmary stabbing into his brain, intensifying the pain in his head. He let his eyelids slam shut again, not wanting to increase his pain by opening them again. _That went well. It's bright, wherever I am._ Don didn't want to try again, but he knew he had no choice if he wanted answers.

As Don struggled to open his eyes, Casey and Leo were taking their turn watching over Don. Casey was the first to notice Don's eyelids twitching, and he was quick to bring it to Leo's attention. "Leo, look!! Is he waking up?"

"Go get Master Splinter and April," Leo ordered, not taking his eyes off of his waking brother. Casey jumped up out of his chair and ran out to the main room to get the rest of the family.

Leo stood beside Don, eyes flicking over the readouts on the heart monitor and other equipment, doing a quick read of Don's vitals, knowing that would be the first thing April would want to know. As far as he could tell, all of the readings were the same as they were an hour ago, no changes that he could see.

But after eighteen days of watching and waiting while his brother was in a coma, Leo could not be sure what to expect. He didn't know if there should be any differences in the readings from coma to conscious.

Leo reached down and took Don's hand, squeezing it gently. "Come on, Donny, wake up. You can do it," he whispered encouragingly. "Your safe, little brother, open your eyes."

Don tried again to open his eyes, this time anticipating the pain to come. He slowly lifted his eyelids, letting his eyes adjust to the bright light in the room. It was not as excruciating as the first time, giving him the nerve to make an effort to look around. All he could see were swirls of color, while his headache pounded in time with his heartbeat and the ventilator forced him to breathe. He blinked several times, trying to bring his vision into focus.

Ever so slowly the colors stopped swirling and Don was able to make out a large green and blue blur moving in and out of his line of vision. He could not muster the energy to try to move his head to follow it. As the room came into focus, he was able to make out a green, rounded face with a strip of blue fabric wrapped around his eyes. _That face looks familiar…Do I know him? _ Don tried to pinpoint the feeling of familiarity. He felt that he should remember this being, but the effort of trying to remember proved to be too much, and his eyes slide shut once again.

While Don was struggling towards full consciousness, April and Splinter entered the infirmary, going straight to Don's bedside, followed closely by Raph. Casey and Mikey stood near the end of the bed, since no one wanted to be left out of seeing Don.

April swiftly took charge of the situation. "Leo?"

"None of the readings have changed, April," Leo reported immediately, turning his head to face April. "He opened his eyes and blinked a few times, but he didn't responded to my voice, and I haven't seen him try to talk, or move, or anything else."

"Okay, let me take a look," April started assessing Don's condition, testing his reflexes and evaluating him, seeing if he really was coming out of the coma, or if this was just a false alarm.

April tried to keep her emotions under control, trying not to let her stirring hope interfere with her evaluation. She defiantly did not want to miss anything because she was too excited. Not with Don's life on the line if she messed this up, or took him off life support too soon. But if he really was coming out of the coma, she would have to let him try to breathe on his own, or she could cause permanent damage to his respiratory system.

While April was occupied with her task, Raph came over to Leo's side and placed his hand on top of where Leo was holding Don's hand. Raph and Leo shared a look with Mikey, hope sparking in all of their faces. _Was this nightmare finally over?_ Raph wondered, looking over his family, meeting their eyes one by one. Taking a deep breath, he waited to hear what April had to say.

Don was able to pull together enough mental energy to open his eyes again, thankful that the room came into focus immediately, unlike his last attempt. This time, there were many moving figures surrounding him. The closest one was light colored, with a halo of red hair surrounding her face; at least Don thought it was female. Something tickled the back of his mind as he looked around the room, as much as he could, as he was not yet able to move his head.

"Donny, can you hear me?" April asked softly, seeing his eyes flutter open and his eyes darting around the room. "How are you feeling?"

Don did not act like he heard April; there was no recognition in his gaze, as he tried to look at everything in his line of sight at once. Splinter switched places with April to try to get through to Donatello.

"Donatello, my son," Splinter started, placing his small, furry hand on Donatello's forehead. "Are you with us?" There was still no sign of his hearing or understanding.

"What's goin' on, April?" Raph asked, watching his brother make no response to their questions. "Is he really awake, or what?"

"He's not in a coma anymore, but his reflexes are still not right. He should be responding to us, but he's not. It may take a few hours, maybe even a day or two for him to come back to us completely. I need to run another blood test and make sure all of the drugs are out of his system," she stated, moving to the counter on the other side of the room to get the supplies she would need to get the blood sample. "I hope there aren't any complications…" she said, under her breath as she finished collecting Don's blood.

"What do ya mean…_complications_? I thought once all that junk was out 'a him he would be back ta normal?" Raph demanded, voice rising in frustration. Leo put his free hand on Raph's shoulder, attempting to calm his volatile brother, while Casey and Mikey shared a concerned look.

"I don't know! Alright!" April's patience was in tatters. "I'm not a doctor, okay? I'm learning as I go, here! I'm sorry, I just don't KNOW!!" She turned to leave the room, covering her face with her hands, desperately trying not to break down in front of everyone, but Splinter gently took her by the arm, turning her to face him.

"Please, April, we know that you are doing the best that you can, and we are immensely grateful for all that you have done for Donatello, so far. If it was not for you, we might have already lost him," Splinter reassured her. "Please do not feel like we expect you to have all of the answers. I know that you will continue to do the best that you are able to do for my son."

"Sorry, April," Raph looked down, not meeting her eyes.

"It's okay, Raph, I know we're all at our wits end with all this," April smiled at Raph. "Can I get you to come with me and help with this blood test? It'll go faster with two sets of hands."

"Sure thing, whatever ya need," Raph took his hand off Leo's and Don's and traded places with Mikey at the end of the bed. "Holler if he opens his eyes again, okay?"

"We will, bro, no worries," Mikey said with his first smile in over two and a half weeks.

Raph moved to follow April back into Don's lab and Casey shuffled his feet, not knowing what to do next. Casey rubbed the back of his neck as he looked to those left in the room. "So, what now?"

"Well," Leo said, "I guess we are still playing the waiting game," His concentration once again focusing on his prone brother.

"How 'bout I make ya some tea, Master Splinter?" Mikey asked, seeing that Leo was not about to leave, now that there was a chance that Don would be waking up for real.

"That sounds wonderful, my son," Splinter replied, recognizing the desire in his youngest to keep his hands busy.

"K, be right back," Mikey started towards the doorway, stopping before he left completely, "You want some tea, too, Leo?"

"Sure, Mikey, I could go for some tea," Leo said, not taking his eyes off Don's face, determined not to miss any sign of his brother waking up again.

"I'll help," Casey added, not wanting to stand around anymore than Mikey did.

After Mikey and Casey left the infirmary, Splinter turned his attention to his eldest son, noting the amount of concern and worry radiating off him. Splinter knew that Leonardo's self-directed guilt and worries could cause major problems if not addressed soon. Splinter had hoped that Leonardo's training in Central America would have helped solve this incessant need to take responsibility for things that he did not have power over. But that did not seem to be the case, in this instance.

"Leonardo," Splinter drew his attrition away from his brother.

"Sensei," Leo turned his eyes to his father.

"You are troubled." It was not a question.

"Yes, Sensei," Leo replied. "I am very worried about Donny. Being in a coma like this…it's been _eighteen days_, Master. I don't know what to think, I just hope he wakes up soon."

"I know, my son," Splinter said with a drawn smile. "We are all wishing for a speedy recovery for your brother. You always bear your brother's problems on your shoulders. You must let this guilt go, it is not your fault that these events came to pass."

"But, Master Splinter…"

"Not your fault, Leonardo," Splinter interrupted, sharply. "You are not all powerful, and you could not have prevented this from happening. You must learn how to flow with change, my student."

"Yes, Master Splinter," Leo said, bowing his head in respect and agreement.

"Donatello will return to us in his own time, not before." Splinter removed the cloth from Donatello's head and rewet it in the bowl next to the bed, replacing it on his head. "Your brother has a strong mind. I do not believe he will have any problems recovering from what has been done to him. You must have faith in your brother, my son."

"I do, Sensei," Leo turned to look at the readouts on the machines that were keeping his brother alive. "It's just…I'm ready for things to be back to normal…I guess."

"I know, my son," Splinter agreed. "We all are."

~~**~~**~~


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: So sorry for the longish wait on this chapter. Internet problems *_grumble grumble_* have now been solved...thank goodness.

This chapter will fill in some of the pieces, and we will see more of Don next chapter. *_Ducks from Donny mob_* Hope you all enjoy, things are starting to come together, and the next few chapters will start the action rolling along again. Thanks for all the great reviews!!

2nd A/N: Reposted for error corrections *sheepish grin* Sorry!!

Now, on to the story!!

~~**~~**~~

_I walk slowly, but I never walk backwards – Abraham Lincoln_

~~**~~**~~

April sat dejectedly in front of the computer in Donny's lab, waiting for the last of the blood tests to be completed. Raph had gone to the kitchen to get them both something to drink while they waited. So far, all of the chemical tests the two of them had run had come back negative, showing that in the last eighteen days Don's immune system had succeeded in flushing out the majority of the toxins the darts had introduced into his system. If this last test was also negative, there would be a good reason to expect Don to fully wake up soon. Hopefully, the prolonged time in a coma would not have any adverse effects, and he would make a full recovery.

April was wary about letting herself hope that everything would be over soon. From the information she had found while researching Donny's condition, there was a whole list of things that could go wrong when Donny was waking up, and she did not want to get her hopes up to only be disappointed. He could do anything from only wake enough to blink, to making a full recovery with no lasting side effects. If only there was some way to know for sure, she could start accepting whatever level of recovery he would make, and more importantly, start preparing his father and brothers for whatever state Donatello would be in, from now on.

"Here, April, coffee, extra black, just the way ya like it," Raph reappeared in the doorway to the lab, handing her a steaming mug. "Don't know how ya can drink so much 'a that stuff, guess it's just a genius thing"

They both cringed with the reminder of the other genius in the family, Don, was not able to drink coffee at the moment. "Yeah, I guess," April replied, not meeting Raph's eyes.

Raph scrambled to change the subject, not at all comfortable with the reminder that his coffee drinking brother was still sick. "How much longer we gonna have ta wait on that last test?"

"Not much longer, it's over three quarters complete." April busied herself with cleaning up the lab, gathering up torn packaging and loose papers accumulated in the mad rush to cure Donny.

Raph suppressed a sigh of impatience as he waited. After all this time, he was having a hard time keeping his temper in check. This waiting, not knowing if his brother would ever wake up, was beginning to wear on him. All in all, he thought that he had been doing a commendable job of not flying off the handle. So far he had been able to direct his impatience and pent up rage on the training equipment in the dojo, but that way of venting was quickly becoming not enough. More than anything he wanted his brainy brother back, and the chance to beat down on whoever thought up the idea of shooting those darts at Don.

Raph knew he was not alone in wanting retribution for his brother. The only reason he and his remaining brothers had not stormed Foot HQ for answers was that they wanted to wait and see if Donny recovered or not. No one wanted to chance not being here if something happened to Donny while they were not at home. Even their normal patrol schedule had been stopped. None of the brother's had left the lair in over two weeks, except Raph, to get food and medical supplies. Raph was glad that neither Leo nor Mike wanted to leave. Going topside and being out, at least every few days, was helping his restlessness.

April's voice brought Raph out of his musings. "Raph, look at this. Don's blood work is clear of all the chemicals from the darts, but there is still something wrong with his white blood cell count. It looks like he is still fighting some kind of infection or something."

"What can we do, April? Does he need some different medicine or somthin'?" Raph asked, looking over the printout from the computer. He reached around April to the reference books still spread out on the countertops in the lab. "Where's that infectious diseases book ya had out yesterday?"

"It's over on the workbench somewhere," April said over her shoulder. "I don't want to start any antibiotics until I can figure out whether he has a virus or an infection. Antibiotics won't work on a virus, and since he's been on oxygen so long, he could have just caught a cold or something."

"What test do we run ta figure that out?" Raph asked, looking up from the book he had found buried under a pile of printouts on the workbench.

"I'm not sure, let me get on the internet and check," April moved to sit at the computer. "Don't worry, Raph, we're almost there. Don's getting better now. This is just a minor bump on the road of his recovery."

"I hope so, April. I don't know how much more 'a this we can take," Raph shook his head, not meeting April's concerned gaze. "I'm ready ta put all this worryin' behind me and get on ta findin' out who's responsible, and takin' care of them," Raph said with a low growl under his breath.

"Just hold on a little bit longer, Raphael," April started typing at the computer, turning towards the collection of monitors. "We _will_ find out who is behind all this, I promise. Let's just get Donny better first."

~~**~~**~~

_No man is defeated without, until he has first been defeated within. – Eleanor Roosevelt _

~~**~~**~~

FOOT HQ – KARAI'S OFFICE

Karai stood looking out from the floor to ceiling windows that afforded her a panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline. One would think she was a statue, for all she was moving. As the sun finishing setting behind the skyscrapers in her line of sight, she turned and moved across the thick carpet to sit in the large leather chair behind her massive dark oak desk.

Her plans were starting to come together nicely. Since she took over the Foot clan here in America, it had taken many months to get everything back in some semblance of order, no thanks to the turtle's constant interference. After having to lower the clan's standards and take employment from that Winters' character, she had made the clan's financial independence her top priority. She was now ready to set in motion the rest of her plans to restore honor to her father's name, honor taken by four turtles.

But the time for staying in the shadows was almost over. Things were coming to a head, and now that her foot ninja had managed to shoot the purple turtle with the substance her scientists had made especially to kill them, she was ready to move forward with her plans.

Her intelligence reports pointed to the fact that the purple-banded turtle was the one responsible for the technology the turtles used to defeat her father, Oroku Saki. With the techno savvy turtle out of the picture, she was confident the rest of the turtles would not be able to hinder her plans. Not to mention the moral defeat of them losing one of their own.

Pressing a button on the phone on her desk, she summoned her second in command.

A Foot Elite entered the office, bowing low, before asking, "Yes, Mistress Karai?"

"What is the status of the search?" Karai asked.

"We have not seen or heard anything from the turtles since the last battle with them a month ago, Mistress. None of our patrols have spotted them, they have not shown themselves at all," he reported, cringing inside, not wanting to feel her anger at his failure to find the turtles.

"Keep up the patrols. I do not want to be surprised by their return. By now the turtle you hit with the darts should be dead. When the other three come seeking their revenge, I do not want to be surprised. My plans will not be interrupted by those freaks interference," Karai ordered.

"Of course, Mistress," the foot elite replied, bowing again. "Do you have any other orders at this time?"

"No," Karai said with a wave of her hand. "Do not fail me. I want to know the second those turtles are found. Too much is at stake to risk their ruining things at this point."

"It shall be done, Mistress," he said, backing out of the office, closing the doors behind him.

~~**~~**~~


	9. Chapter 8

~~**~~**~~

_Somewhere in this darkness  
There's a light that I can't find  
Maybe it's too far away...  
Or maybe I'm just blind..._

_Roaming through this darkness,  
I'm alive but I'm alone,  
Part of me is fighting this,  
But part of me is gone  
– _When I'm Gone_ by Three Doors Down_

~~**~~**~~

Bright lights, moving shapes all around me. W_hy can't I move?_ _What's wrong with me? Where am I?_

As Don struggled to find the strength to keep his eyes open, he could not help the feelings of despair that threatened to overwhelm him. What Don could not understand was why he was having such difficulties waking up and staying awake. His limbs felt extraordinarily heavy, and not being in control of even his own breathing was worrisome. He could only hope that he was in the care of someone that did not mean him any harm. Not like he had any choice in the matter at present. _Not being able to move really limits what actions I can take._

Prying open his eyes once again, Don found that the swirling colors took less time to rearrange themselves into actual shapes this time. _Hopefully that means I'm getting over this, whatever this is._ Once again, he found himself in a bright room, lying on his back unable to even twitch his fingers. _This sucks. _ He was limited to looking around the room, trying to figure out if he was in friendly territory or not. There wasn't much to see in his line of sight, as he couldn't move his head to the side to get a good look around.

_Well, it could be worse, I guess._ As he stared at the ceiling, blinking, trying to clear his vision, he could sense movement in the room around him. Focusing on what he was able to see, the ceiling of the room he was in came in to focus. _Brick. Who would have a ceiling made of bricks? _As his muddled brain tried to puzzle this out, shapes started moving in front of his eyes, blocking the view of the odd ceiling above him.

As his surroundings wavered in and out of focus, he was able to see several familiar looking shapes moving around his bed. Green blurs, with red and blue around the top, was all he could make out before the room faded out again. _Something is seriously wrong with my vision. Why can't I see anything clearly?_ He let his eyes close once again, tiring of trying to see when he couldn't make out anything that would help him figure out what was going on.

_Well, that was unhelpful. Alright, time to stop playing helpless and get to the bottom of this._ Don pulled his disjointed thoughts together and began to focus all his wavering strength, determined to figure out what had happened to him. Using all of his considerable skills at meditation, he let himself drop deep into a healing trance, focusing inward, trying to take stock of his injuries.

_Okay, no broken bones and no missing pieces that I can feel. Why am I on life support? My breathing must have become depressed, but without apparent trauma, that rules out shock. So, what does that leave? Drugs. Okay, no reason to panic yet…god, I hope I'm not in the hands of my enemies, as it is I can't move, much less rescue myself if I'm not in familiar territory._

While Don was busy taking a mental inventory of his self, his family was quickly becoming agitated at his apparent lack of response to their questions. When he had opened his eyes, there had been a great flurry of activity in the makeshift infirmary.

"Donatello, can you hear me? Your safe, wake up… please," Leo pleaded with his brother, desperation apparent in his strained voice. Leo moved to stand over Don, once again taking the hand without the IV catheter. He squeezed Don's hand, trying to get him to respond. There was no return pressure from his ill brother.

"Raphael," Master Splinter called as he move to Don's other side, eyes moving quickly over his son's prone body, watching for any response. "Donatello is showing signs of waking, again!"

"Okay, hold that thought." Raph quickly looked over Don, and turned back to face his family that had gathered once again around Don's bed. "Let's see if he is any more responsive this time. Mike, call April and Casey, let them know what's happenin', I'll need April's help if he really is waking up."

"On it, bro," Mikey replied, bouncing out of the room to call their human friends with the news, looking happier than he had in over a month.

"Come on, bro" Raphael spoke, his voice softer than any there had ever heard before. "Nap time's over. Time ta wake up and get back ta work. You're slackin' off in my science lessons. Who else is gonna have tha' patience ta teach me all this geeky stuff?" Raph placed his hand on Don's shoulder, shaking it slightly and giving it a small squeeze. "You've had your vacation, now it's time to rejoin tha' land 'a tha' livin'."

After several tense minutes, April and Casey arrived in the underground lair, hurrying to the infirmary to see their friend. Don had opened his eyes several times now, looking about the room, but still did not show any sign that he heard or understood what was going on around him. Finally, his eyes shut once more, and the hopeful air in the infirmary fell dark again.

"Come on, Casey," Mikey said from the doorway, shoulders sagging in defeat "Seems like it was just another false alarm."

"Alright, Mike, why don't you an' me go topside and get some groceries?" Casey suggested, trying to cheer up his friend. "The way these guys have been going through the coffee and tea, you're gonna run out soon."

"K, Case-man, I could stand to get outta here for a few, let's go," Mike bowed to Splinter and left the lair, followed by Casey, who shared a look with Leo as he headed towards the lair's entrance.

"I'll keep an eye on him, Leo. Don't worry; I'll have him back in an hour or so." Casey nodded to Master Splinter and Raphael as he followed Mike into the sewer.

Master Splinter turned to their remaining human friend, worry and concern evident in his eyes and slouched posture. "April, do you have any theories on what is keeping my son from returning to us?"

"No, Master Splinter," April said with a deep sigh. "This is quickly becoming more and more outside of my area of expertise. He had been in a coma for 32 days. And, other than the last time he opened his eyes two weeks ago, he has not shown any signs of waking. Now that we have cured the secondary infection he had these last two weeks, there is no medical reason for him to still be out like this." April raised her hand to run it through her hair in exasperation. "I really don't have any more ideas. I'm done. I am not giving up, but unless something else happens, he is now, truthfully, outside my medical help." April looked at the floor once she finished relating the not-so-good report.

The three of them were speechless. Leo and Raph exchanged horrified looks before both turned to see what their sensei had to say about the news.

"I see," Master Splinter responded in a flat voice. "I will be in my room, meditating, if you have need of me, my sons. Please excuse me, April."

April looked up at her friends, hurt evident in her eyes. "I'm so sorry guys, I wish things were different, but they're not."

"So what does this mean, April?" Leo asked in a low voice. Part of him did not want to hear the answer, but he quickly squashed that fear and steeled himself to deal with whatever the answer might be.

"It means he might never wake up, don't it," Raph said with a growl. He started walking back and forth around the room, both hands gripping the hilts of his sai in frustration.

"Yes_,_" came the whispered answer, almost too low to hear.

"What do we do now?" Leo asked, looking at Don's still form.

"We find who's responsible for this, and we make 'em pay, that's what!" Raphael's fury broke out, as he turned to stare at Leo, his eye's daring him to say something.

"Raph, we need to talk to Splinter before we do anything of the sort!" Leo replied, trying to calm his hot-headed brother's anger.

"I've been waitin' long enough, Leo," Raph raged. "Four weeks, four weeks our brother's been layin' there, barely alive, and no one's paid…how much longer do ya expect me ta wait, Leo? How long?!?"

"Long enough to have a plan, and not rush off and get hurt, or worse." Leo reasoned. "You won't do anyone any good if you get hit with those same darts as Don did if you rush Foot HQ without a plan or backup. At least wait until Mike and Casey get back so we can make a plan." Leo reached out and grabbed Raph by the arm, keeping him from leaving the room. "Please Raph, I can't lose another brother, not now…" Leo trailed off, not meeting Raph's eyes, as he shuddered, trying not to lose it completely.

"Okay, Leo," Raph said, calming down a bit. "I'll wait, but we gotta do somethin' soon. I won't wait much longer; this has gone on long enough without us respondin' ta this attack. We can't be lettin' tha enemy think they can get away with this kinda stuff."

"I agree," Leo said with a small sigh, happy his brother had listened to reason, for once. "As soon as the others are back, we'll start planning the assault. This will not go without a response, we've waited long enough."

April moved to replace the IV fluids they were giving Don. The current bag was empty, and it gave her something tangible to do while she was waiting to see what would be done. As she finished hanging a full bag and attaching it to Don's IV, she looked down and saw that Don's eyes were open again.

"Guys, don't look now, but his eyes are open again," April said in a low voice, trying not to get her hopes up.

"Donny?" Leo quickly moved back to his position beside Don's bed, holding his hand. "Don, can you hear me?"

"Come on, Don," April pleaded, "Please prove me wrong, wake up, give us a sign your still in there, please!"

Don came out of his healing meditation feeling a little better, his head no longer pounding in time with his heart beat. _Well, any improvement is better than none, I guess. Time to try to see what's happened to me. Alright eyes, time to open and face the music._ As he pried his eyes open again, he noticed that unlike the last time he regained consciousness, he was able to feel the bed under him, and the pressure of something holding his hand. Gathering his strength once again, he turned his head to take in his surroundings.

"Hey bro," Raph said gently, as Don turned his head towards him, eyes seeking his. "Come on, man, time to wake up, we've gone without ya long enough."

~~**~~**~~


	10. Chapter 9

~~**~~**~~

_The more things change, the more things stay the same._

~~**~~**~~

As his brothers were trying their hardest to get Donatello to respond, their Father and Sensei, Master Splinter had retreated to his room, and gone deep in meditation, hoping to find his lost son's spirit. Even after a month, Splinter had not lost hope of finding his son, even if everyone else had. He knew that his genius son was not yet lost to them, and he was more determined now, than ever, of helping him find his way back to his family.

Ever since Splinter had experienced the first vision while searching for Donatello, all of his meditations had shown him the same vision, time and time again, with no apparent changes. It was very disconcerting that he could not reach his son, no matter how many times he tried to find him on a spiritual level. But, it seemed that this time was to be different.

_Splinter was once again walking up the side of the lone hill, only this time, the mighty oak tree was already split in two and lying on the ground. After more than four weeks of daily meditations with the same vision, this change was very disturbing._

_As he approached the tattered shell of the great monolith, a whisper of wind stirred the grass around his feet. Looking up at the sky, Splinter could see the retreating storm clouds that had rained their destruction upon the old tree. It seemed that he was now going to witness the aftermath of the storm that had wrought such suffering upon this lonely hill and its once proud sentinel. _

_At the edge of hearing, there was a thin wail, like a small child would make in times of great distress. Splinter's parental instincts kicked into high gear, giving his feet wings as he swiftly followed the sounds around the hill to the far side of the downed tree. Reaching the far side, he spied a small opening in the ground, like the mouth of a cave, which had been hidden in the roots of the tree. Splinter followed the sounds underground, into the cave, moving carefully so as not to disturb the ground any so that he might avoid a cave in, because the ground already looked very unstable from the earlier rainstorm._

_Soon, what little light that had been filtering in from outside was all but gone. Fortunately, Splinter was a ninja master, and was very adept at moving in the dark. Being a mutated rat didn't hurt either. After several minutes of climbing through the darkness, Splinter felt the cave open up around him, the very air movements telling him this was a larger space. _

_Far ahead of him, Splinter could see what looked like a lone candle burning in the dark. As Splinter made his way across the space to the light, he could hear the crying more clearly. Reaching the candle, he could make out the shape of another being on the other side of the candle, just barely out of the light's reach. When Splinter entered the circle of light, the crying shuddered to a halt._

"_Who are you?" the shadowy figure asked, trying to hide the fact that he had been crying. The voice sounded very young to Splinter, and familiar, as well._

"_My name is Splinter, what is your name?" Splinter tried to keep his voice as non-threatening as possible._

"_I don't know, I'm just here," the voice replied._

"_Why are you crying?" _

"_I'm scared."_

"_What are you frightened of, maybe I can help?" Splinter offered._

"_The storm scared me, it broke me, and now I can't move, I can't remember."_

"_That does sound frightening. Are you injured? How did the storm break you?" Splinter was becoming concerned, this shadow voice sounded like his lost son, but not as he was now. It sounded like Donatello's voice when he was still a small child._

"_The rain came, and the lightning hit me, I couldn't get out of the way. Then I woke up here, in the dark, and I know I forgot something really important, but I can't remember what it was. Can you help me remember?"_

"_I shall certainly try, young one. Can you come into the light? I need to check you for injuries, okay?"_

"_Okay," the voice answered. The shadow figure slowly wavered, and then glided into the circle of light offered by the candle. As the shadow exposed itself, Splinter could not help a small gasp of surprise. The figure was his son. Donatello looked like a small child, much as he did when he was 5 or 6 years old. Splinter did not know what to think now, and he was concerned that he would not be able to help his son after all._

"_My son," Splinter couldn't help but whisper. _

"_You know me?" _

"_Yes, my son, I know you. You are Donatello, one of four of my precious sons, and very dear to me."_

"_Oh, okay, I guess," Donatello did not sound very convinced._

_Splinter moved to sit next to his son. "Donatello, do you know what caused the storm?"_

"_I'm not sure. One minute I was fine, growing, reaching, bending in the wind, but the storm came up so fast, and the lightning…" Donatello trailed off, looking past the candle into the darkness surrounding them both._

"_It's okay, take your time, my son," Splinter placed his hand on Donatello's arm to comfort the now shivering turtle. "Perhaps things will become clear if you can tell me what happened. We shall solve this together."_

"_Okay, Splinter, I'll try. It all happened so fast, but I know for sure that the storm should not have happened. I've never had a storm like that before. And now…now things will never be the same again, will they?" Teary eyes looked up at Splinter in question._

"_No, my son, they will not," Donatello put his head on his drawn up knees, putting his arms over his head, like he wanted to hide from the world. "Do not lose hope, my child. Change comes to us all, it is how we grow, and learn. This too shall pass, and you shall become stronger for it."_

_"Okay, but, what will I do now? The tree was all I had…now what?"_

_"Now you get back up, and start again. I will be with you when you decide to awaken my son, as will your brothers. I am here for you, my son, Donatello. Come back to us."_

Splinter was again jerked out of his meditations, but this time he was not distressed by this turn of events. After all of his efforts, he had finally been able to reach Donatello. Splinter gave a great sigh of relief, it appeared that Donatello might come out of this sleep sooner rather than later.

Now all Splinter had to do was share this wonderful news with the rest of his family.

* * *

A/N: Sorry if the imagery got confusing for anyone, please let me know if I need to explain anything. Thanks to all you readers and reviewers!! More coming soon, with another appearance of the Foot, and their crazy evil plans…I hope!

A/N 2: Reposted to fix error…next chapter coming soon…don't despair!!


	11. Chapter 10

A/N: Wow…so sorry guys, I really intended to post this last week, better late than never I guess. Thanks so much to all of you who have reviewed this…your glowing praise really helps me keep up my courage to keep posting this insanity. I can only hope that I don't disappoint with this next installment.

As always I own nothing, not even the computer I'm typing this on.

On to the story!

* * *

~~**~~**~~

_Not only do I not know what's going on, I wouldn't know what to do with it if I did. – _George Carlin

~~**~~**~~

Mikey had returned from his shopping trip with Casey and had volunteered to take a shift in the Donny-watch while April and Casey went home to get some much needed rest. After the false alarm yesterday, Mikey was starting to feel like Donny would never wake up. As much as he didn't want to lose faith in his brother, the facts and harsh reality were starting to chip away at any hope he had left. Especially now, after hearing from Raph what April had said about Don's condition, he was defiantly losing hope. _How am I supposed to keep my hopes up, when the only doctor-type person we have doesn't even think Don will ever wake up?_

Master Splinter had told them all yesterday about finally finding Donatello in his meditations, but hearing how Donny didn't even remember who Splinter was ended up being to opposite of encouraging. Now Mikey was back to playing the waiting game, a game he was not happy playing, especially with his brother's life on the line. Now, more than ever, Mikey wished there was something else, something more; he could do to help his brainy brother. But, waiting for Donny to decide to wake up, seemed like all he could do, at this point.

~~**~~**~~

Donatello no longer knew what to think about the situation he found himself in. On the one hand, he could not move very much, and was having difficulties remembering and focusing on his surroundings. But on the other hand, he felt safe, especially after that odd dream he had. He was no longer worried about where he was, which was a great relief. Meeting Splinter in his dream had sparked several childhood memories, and as the minutes ticked by, more and more of his past was coming back. He could remember his brothers and his father, but Don still felt like there were several pieces missing, gaps that he had a feeling were very important.

_Time to try opening my eyes again, I guess. Man, this utter helplessness is getting ridiculous. I hope this fatigue and heaviness wears off soon!_ As Don forces his eyes open again, he could make out a green and orange figure next to his bed. Turning his head towards the figure, he tried to remember if he knew this person or not.

Mikey was quick to notice Don's open eyes, and franticly called out to the rest of the family, "Guys, come quick, Donny's awake again!!"

Don could see several more figures come near him, and he turned to look at them, seeing the same blurry green figures from the last two times he remembered opening his eyes. _Come on, mouth, talking is good._

While Donny was busy trying to get his voice to work again, he was able to make out a few of the sounds around him. _Wow, they are really insistent that I wake up. I wonder how long I've been out? Guess there's only one way to know for sure._ Donny focused, trying to make out the soft voice of his remembered father, but he could not hear clearly enough to know for sure.

"Donny, can you hear me?" Mikey asked, scared of the answer, not wanting to be let down once again.

"Mmmhhmmnn…" Donatello tried to get his voice to work, but it would not cooperate, his tongue was sticking to the bottom of his mouth. _This breathing tube isn't helping matters much. I wish I could tell them to turn that ventilator off; I really don't need it anymore._ His mouth felt like heavy cotton was being forced down his throat, making it extremely difficult to form meaningful sounds, much less words.

"Donny?!?!" Raph and Leo both could not believe their eyes. Don was looking around and trying to talk.

_Is he really waking up, this time?_ Raph was quick to look over Don's vital signs and make notes for April to go over later, he did not want anything to risk the health of his brother's recovery. _I can't believe this is really happening! Finally!!_

"Donatello, my son," Splinter took his son's hand and reached out to rub his head. "It is time to face the world again, my son. The time for hiding is over."

Don could hear some muffled sounds, but nothing was very clear. He recognized the voice of his brother's and father, but couldn't make out what they were saying, he was only able to make out every other word or so. It was like trying to listen to a bad radio connection from under water.

Don could hardly move his tongue in his mouth, it was so dry, making it that much more difficult to try and speak, even with the oxygen tube down his windpipe. _Man, I would _kill_ for a sip of water right now!!_ He could not believe no one had thought to give him a drink. _I guess they are so happy to see me awake, they forgot what it's like to try to talk after being out for a long time._

"Guys, he won't be able ta talk around tha' ventilator. Give me 'a minute ta check 'im out, and I'll take tha' tube out so he can try ta talk ta us." Raph moved to the equipment next to the bed, hurriedly going over remembered directions Donatello had given him, long before all this had started. _Don't screw this up. It's only your brother's life on the line if you mess this up._ Raph tried to ignore that voice in his head that was trying to tell him that he didn't know what he was doing, but Raph knew that he was the only one in the room that had any idea what to do, at this moment.

Raph turned off the ventilator and the oxygen tank, keeping a steady eye on Don's vital signs, ready to turn them back on if the slightest blip showed that Don was not ready or able to breathe on his own yet. Holding his breath, Raph waited, praying to every divine being he could think of, hoping that he did not just sign his brother's death warrant by taking him off of life support.

~~**~~**~~


	12. Chapter 11

A/N: Sorry about the short chapter, the action should pick up in the next one...hopefully. Thanks again to all of you who have been reviewing, it really helps feed the muse.

On to the story!!

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_Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability and will to deal with them._

~~**~~**~~

The very air felt still, as if their whole world was waiting to see if Donatello would take a breath on his own, without aid from the ventilator. As everyone held their collective breath, Donatello started breathing on his own for the first time in thirty-three days. Raphael flew into action, checking Don's reflexes and taking notes on all of the read-outs from the equipment surrounding his brother.

Raph started issuing orders to his family, as he moved around the bed. "Mikey, call April an' Casey, I need April's help, now more than ever, ta double check this with me. Leo, get 'im a glass 'a water with a straw. Masta' Splinter, can ya help me sit 'im up a bit, I need ta listen ta his lungs."

His family moved quickly, securing things and doing as Raph had requested, too numb from shock to do anything else. Donatello's eyes followed the flurry of activity, like he couldn't decide what to try to watch. He had not tried to speak again yet, but his intense gaze was reassuring to his family, at least this time Donny looked like he was alive behind his eyes, instead of lost, like the last two times he had woken up.

Mikey came screeching back into the lab, out of breath from running across the lair. "April was in the shower, and Casey said they'll be down in less than 20 minutes."

"Kay, Mikey, that's good…ya can come 'er and take down these readin's as I holler them at ya." Raph didn't even look up from what he was doing when he thrust out the notepad and pen towards his youngest brother. All of Raph's focus was on Donny, as he was determined to give his ill brother the best care he possibly could. Raph would not let his own shortcomings be the reason Donny did not get well, this time.

Splinter looked up from studying Donatello's face, intent on finding any trace of his lost son. Leo returned to the lab with a tray laden with a steaming pot of tea, several mugs, and a tall glass of ice water complete with a bendy straw, for ease of drinking.

"Here, Raph," Leo sat the tray down on the small table next to the bed. "I went ahead and made some stimulant tea as well, I thought it might help more than just plain water."

"Good thinking, my son," Splinter said, moving away from his place beside the bed. "A soothing cup of tea would do us all wonders, while we wait for April to arrive. What do you say, Raphael"

"None fer me, Masta', I need ta finish checkin' over Donny," Raph looked up, meeting Splinter's eyes. He was not able to hide the worry from his father. "I hope I'm not forgettin' anythin'…" Raph trailed off, turning back to Donny, not wanting to face his father with his weaknesses exposed.

While his brothers and father were trying to come to terms with the fact that Donatello was beginning to recover from all of this, Donny himself was able to make out more and more of the events that were happening around him. Slowly, as the minutes ticked by, he could make out more of the conversation going on in the room. He could hear Raph and Leo talking about tea, of all things. As he listened to the goings on in the room around him, Don was able to open his eyes again. He saw his father holding a glass of ice water that had a straw in it. _God, I hope that's for me. I feel like I've been eating sand. Wow, they look really happy to see me awake. I wonder, how long I was out?_

"Donny? Can you hear me?" Raph asked quietly, leaning over his prone brother, listening and watching for any possible reaction.

"Rraapp…" Donny's voice was almost unrecognizable, as gravelly as it sounded.

"Here, my son. Have a bit of water," Splinter offered the straw, holding the glass steady as Donatello greedily sucked up the cool liquid. "Not too much, now, easy…"

Leo and Mikey could not take their eyes off of the sight of their brother awake and trying to talk. After all this time, it was a sight that none currently in the room had thought that they would ever see again. Now, to feel that great blessing of hope, returning to them, so soon after they had all but given up, was a mighty weight lifted from their tired spirits.

~~**~~**~~

"Hey, guys, we're here!" Casey called from the entrance to the lair, noticing quickly that no one was in sight. "Com' on April, they're prob'ly all in tha lab!"

April and Casey moved quickly through the turtle's home, intent on getting to the lab to see Donatello as quickly as possible. They did not want to miss him waking up, and April especially wanted to be near, in case she was needed. Although, she did not know how much help she would be. This past month, Raphael would have made any med school professor proud with the way he had studied to learn everything he could to help his brother. When Donny was back up and around again, he may have some competition on his hands about who knew more about comas and unconsciousness.

The scene they arrived at when they opened the door to the infirmary was one they had both thought they would never see again. Don was sitting up, looking around as his brothers and father were filling him in on all he had missed while he was ill. Don's voice was a little scratchy from not being used for a while. Otherwise, he looked like he had just woken from a nap and not a month of being on life support while in a coma. April could not help the tears that began to trickle silently down her face as Casey pulled her into a one-armed hug, holding her tightly against his side as they took in the scene.

"Hey April, Casey how've you been?" A scratchy, but undeniably Don voice asked.

"Donny, oh Donny," April pulled out of Casey's embrace to go to Don's side. "We were so worried, how are you feeling? Are you in any pain? Any trouble breathing?" Don's hands came up as if to ward off the barrage of questions from his red-headed friend.

"April, I feel fine, just a little tired, really" Don insisted, "Raph had already checked me out, quite thoroughly, I might add." Raph crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall near Don's bed.

"An' you were expectin' what? That I'd not know what ta do for ya?" Raph looked a little put off by Don's dismissal of his skills. "You're tha one that's been harpin' on me ta take those science lessons ya been givin' me seriously. But, next time, can ya just quiz me? I'd really ratha' leave the life savin' medical stuff ta you, brainiac."

"Ya, bro," Mikey chimed in, "We can't get along without ya, we need ya here!"

"I hear you guys," Don hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry, so sorry…"

Four voices started shouting over each other. "No" "It's not your fault" "That's not what I meant, bro" "My son, these events were not caused by you"

"Guys, Sensei, I know that…it's just…if I was a better ninja…I would've been able to block those darts…none of you would have gotten hit like I was…I mean…" Don trailed off, not able to complete his thought while everyone was looking at him so harshly.

Leo and Raph shared a look while Mikey looked like he was about to burst into tears from his purple banded brother was trying to take the blame for something that wasn't even his fault. Splinter took April's place beside his son and took his hand.

"My brave son, none of the events that have come to pass are your fault." Splinter held up his other hand to stop Donatello from arguing his point. "Donatello, the only thing that has happened that you are responsible for is deciding to come back to us." Three turtles nodded their agreement as April and Casey left the room to give the mutant family some time alone to work out this issue.

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	13. Chapter 12

Woot, here's some more almost action!! More coming soon, guys, just as fast as I can type it up…my muse finally got back from her vacation (I guess).

50 reviews!!! Woot!!! Thanks sooo much you guys, that really means a lot to me, and makes me want to get crackin' on the next chapter. Who out there can't wait for Karai to get her come-upins!! Me, too!

On to the story…

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~~**~~**~~

_Revenge is an act of passion; vengeance of justice. Injuries are revenged; crimes are avenged. ~ _Samuel Johnson

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After assuring themselves that Donatello was not in any danger of slipping into a coma again the first time he fell back asleep, the turtle family gathered in the dojo for a much needed family meeting, leaving April and Casey to watch over Don as he got some much needed rest.

"With Donny on da mend, we need ta get real about findin' those responsible fer getting' him sick in da first place." Raphael stated with fists clenched, eyes daring any to dispute him on the issue.

"Raph, we know it was Foot-goons," Mikey said, not at all fazed by Raph's dangerous looks. "What more do ya need to know?"

"My students," Splinter spoke up before a fight could break out. "As we are well aware, the Foot clan is now under new leadership. Perhaps it would be best to approach this issue as we would a new enemy. We cannot assume that Karai's intentions shall be the same as Saki's were. To do so will blind us to the truth."

All three looked down at this, Leo most ashamed that he had been guilty of underestimating an enemy. Not to mention the fact that his brother had been suffering because of it.

"Splinter's right," Leo added, pushing aside his feelings of failure so that he could focus on the task at hand. "We can't keep fighting the Foot the way we did when Shredder was in charge. If nothing else, this whole mess just proves that she is not going to fight us honorably, not that the Shredder was any better."

"Yeah, at least Tin-Head didn't try to poison us, or nothin' like that." Mikey looked at his brothers, wishing now, more than ever, that Donny could be here, beside them, where he belonged.

"Well, what are we gonna do 'bout it?" Raph demanded. "We can't stay down here like this foreva. Donny deserves retribution for his sufferin', don't he?"

"First things, first, Raph," Leo interrupted. "We need to gather some intel about this new incarnation of the Foot clan. Even though they are wearing the same dogi, they sure aren't fighting the same as they did under Shredder's leadership. It wouldn't do Don any good for us to get shot with those darts, which is what could happen if we rushed into things."

"So let's get ta gatherin' then," Raph argued back. "Just sittin' 'round here ain't cuttin' it fer me anymore. We need ta get out 'a here and start fightin' back."

~~**~~**~~

_Revenge is a confession of pain._

~~**~~**~~

EAST SIDE DOCKS

Dark shadows moved like wisps of smoke over the roofs of the many abandoned buildings alongside the docks. The full moon's light was hidden behind the many clouds in the overcast night sky, making for the perfect ninja playground.

Foot ninja moved silently across the parking lot of an old fish packing factory, loading large boxes from the building into the back of a non-descript box truck. They worked quickly, while several of their brethren stood guard, watching the surrounding rooftops, like they expected something to appear out of the sky to threaten them.

But no sign of movement was detected and no one approached them. The Foot completed their work loading the truck and disappeared into the night as the truck was driven away, the only trace left from their presence was the disturbed dust on the old factory floor.

Karai leaned back into the leather seat of her stretch limo, contemplating these new developments. Now that she was able to do as she pleased, without the turtles showing up and ruining things like they did to her father, she was ready to step up her operations to the next phase.

For all appearances, the Foot clan could now operate in New York City without interference, for the first time in over 20 years. Karai was very pleased with this turn of events. Even though she knew that her ninja had only hit one of the turtles with her deadly darts, it looks as if the rest of the turtle clan had abandoned the city. No one had seen or heard from the turtles in over a month. Karai was starting to get bolder with her operations, as she continued to go unchallenged.

She jotted down some additional instructions in the notebook in her lap, as her driver took her back to her penthouse from the docks. Although she was the _jonin_ of the American branch of the Foot clan, she had to make things look good to her superiors in Japan. The last thing she wanted was to draw attention to her non-clan sanctioned dealings, the least of which was her plans to take revenge on the turtle clan for destroying her father.

Her superiors in Japan would not be pleased to find out that she was using clan assets to get revenge for her adopted father. The less they knew the better things would go for her. Being able to get the American branch of the Foot clan back on its feet, financially, helped her cause tremendously. She no longer had to justify her budget with the accountants in Japan, giving her a lot of freedom, to do as she pleased.

As her driver pulled up in front of the high-rise that housed her penthouse, Karai schooled her face from all expression, giving nothing away as she exited the limo and made her way into the building, not even taking a moment to acknowledge the doorman as he held open the glass doors for her. She had an image to maintain as one of the city's business elite, and she would not let anything slip at this point that could put her plans in danger.

After she entered her penthouse, she made a few business calls and checked her messages. Everything seemed to be going according to her plans, but she had learned a valuable lesson from her father's failures. Never let your guard down, even when everything is going right. After she finished the tedious tasks required of her for the business front the Foot clan was using, she called her second in command to relay her new instructions that she had decided on during the ride back. Nothing would stand in her way, not even those freaks of nature that were able, by some stroke of luck, to bring down her father.

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	14. Chapter 13

A/N: Here's the next chapter, still don't own them, :(, but we can still play, right? Right?

Anyways, this one is just a bit of fluff/brotherly interaction before we get to the Karai butt-kickin' parts…I know you can't wait for that…but here you go in the mean time. Next update will be, hopefully, before the end of the month. Thanks everyone of reading and reviewing!!

On to the story!

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~~**~~**~~

_No matter the differences between them, brothers are brothers. ~_ Sarah MacLean

~~**~~**~~

After a heated discussion that solved nothing, Raph stormed off to his room, not wanting to listen to any more arguments on why they should wait to go after the Foot. As far as he was concerned, they had waited long enough already. Any more waiting seemed pointless, and Raph did not do well with waiting for no apparent reason.

Raph slammed the door to his room, moving to his stereo to turn on some music, trying to drown out the buzzing in his head from his anger. Six months ago, this level of anger would have driven him out of the lair, topside, to beat up some punks until it faded back into manageable levels. But, he was determined to prove to himself that he could control this, and not let his family down by acting like an out of control hothead. After turning up the sound to a level just under ear-splitting, he laid back in his hammock, trying to calm the red haze of fury he was feeling.

At this point he could not tell if he was angry because Leo wanted to wait while he wanted to do something now, or if it was from the Foot getting away with this type of behavior against his family for so long without anyone calling them on it. Every major injury, every hardship his family had faced for the last ten years could be blamed on the Foot clan and Raph was more than feed up with it. He was of the opinion that it was past time for them to get the justice they had more than earned and rightfully deserved.

~~**~~**~~

The slamming door followed by pounding music woke Don from a fitful sleep. Opening his eyes to take in his surroundings, he was not surprised to find April and Casey still sitting to either side of his sick bed. It looked like he was not going to be left alone for a while, yet. This did not surprise him in the least. After the scare that they had experienced, he would be surprised if he would even be allowed to take a shower by himself for quite some time.

Realizing what had woken him, he turned to April. "What's going on with Raph?"

April would not meet his eyes. "I don't know, Donny. Your brothers went to talk with Master Splinter about twenty minutes ago."

"Oh, okay, then…" Don looked up, seeing Mikey enter the infirmary. "Hey Mikey, what happened with Raph?"

"Nothin', bro," Mikey said with a smile that didn't quite make it to his eyes. "You know Raph, he's just in another funk." April stood from where she was sitting, and Mikey took her place as she and Casey left the room, leaving Don and Mike alone to talk.

"Mikey…"

"Relax, Don, it's nothin' you need ta be worrying about right now. You just need to concentrate on getting better."

"Please don't lie to me, little brother," Don said with a sad smile, taking Mikey's hand. "I may be laid up, but that doesn't mean I don't want to know what's going on with my family."

"You always could see right through me, huh, bro," Mike gave a great sigh, finally meeting Don's eyes. "Raph wants to go after the Foot, like, yesterday, and Sensei and Leo wanna wait, gather info, and stuff, first."

"WHAT?" Don nearly came off of the bed in surprise. "Has he lost his mind? What if he gets hit by those same darts that got me?" Don's raised voice could be heard throughout the lair.

"I know, right?" Mikey replied, gesturing with both arms to show his agreement with that horrible plan. "But you know Raph, he's itchin' to get retribution for ya, and he don't wanna wait no more, that's for sure." Mike dragged his hand across his eyes. "Man, you shoulda seen it, it was like WWIII in the dojo, just now…I'm just surprised he stayed here in the lair, and didn't storm off topside like he usually does." Don tried to sit up by himself, reaching for Mikey's hand again, but could not find the strength.

Leo opened the door to the infirmary, concerned about the raised voices he had heard. It had sounded like Donny was yelling about something, and he was worried that something had happened.

"Is everything okay in here?" Leo asked, poking his head through the doorway. He could see that Mike had one of Don's arms clasped in his hand, helping him sit up against some pillows Mike had placed behind his brother.

"Yeah, Leo, we're good," Don said looking at Mikey's drawn face. "We were just talking. Mikey's catching me up on what I've missed."

"Oh, okay then, if you're sure everything is okay," Leo looked like he didn't want to leave the room.

"I'll talk to you in a bit, Leo, okay," Don added, seeing from the look on Leo's face that he really needed to talk to him. "Let me just talk to Mikey for a minute."

"Alright, Donny, I'll see you in a few then." Leo shut the door, leaving the two brothers in silence once again.

"Thanks, Donny."

"No problem, Mikey, that's what I'm here for." Don said with a knowing smile, glad he could help his youngest brother, even if it was only by a little bit.

Mikey pulled his hand out of his brother's grip, and put his elbows on his knees, lowering his head into his hands. "Donny, you don't know how much we need you around here. While you were out, Leo was so broody, and Raph was the only one who really stepped up to help you get better, other than April. You'd a been impressed, I think. He really didn't let his anger interfere with taking care of ya. I don't know what all kind of stuff you've been teachin' him lately, but I think he was really channeling you. Runnin' tests and checking ya over…I just wish I could've been able ta help like he was…" Mikey trailed off, not able to look at Don's forgiving face.

"Oh, Mikey," Don sighed. "Just being you is enough to help me get better, bro. All I need is your smiling face to brighten my day, who else around here is going to make sure that I don't take myself too seriously?" Don smiled knowingly at his younger brother. "Don't think that you aren't able to help me, please…If it means that much to you, when I'm up and around again I'll teach you some of the advanced first aid so you will know how to help next time."

"Thanks, Donny," Mikey breathed, thankful Don was taking his concerns seriously, instead of laughing them off, like he thought he would. "That means a lot to me, that you're willing to try and teach me some stuff."

"Mikey, you are way smarter than you give yourself credit for, don't sell yourself short, okay?" Don smiled at his youngest brother, thankful that he was able to help him feel better about things, so easily. "Now, that we have resolved that dilemma, do you mind telling me how long I was out for, no one will give me a straight answer."

Mikey looked anywhere but at his brainy brother. "I…you…that stuff in the darts…I guess you know you were in a coma, and on life support, right?" Mikey rubbed the back of his neck, really not wanting to be the one to tell Don this.

"Yeah, I gathered as much," Don nodded his understanding. "But how long, Mikey, please, I have a right to know, how long was I out? I'll find out as soon as I can get out of this bed, you know that. Please, just tell me, I won't get mad at you, I promise."

"Okay, I guess it won't hurt to tell you," Mikey looked like someone was asking him to burn his comic book collection. "Thirty-three days, Donny, for more than four weeks, you were in a coma we were beginning to think you were never going to wake up from. It was horrible, seeing you there, not even able ta breathe on your own…it was agony…" Mikey stopped in the middle of his thought, seeing how pale and blank his brother looked. "DON, Donny, answer me!! Don't do this to us again!!"

Donatello could no longer respond to his brother, he was so deep in his own thoughts, staring straight ahead with unseeing eyes, not even blinking. _Over a month, wow, I knew it had been a while, but…wow, it's amazing that I even woke up, much less, am nearly fully functioning again._ Don could not stop the thoughts running rampant in his head, statistics and medical facts flashing in his mind's eye. _Grade VI coma, coupled with loss of respiratory function, and staying unconscious for so long, I should be a vegetable, not that I'm complaining, I guess._

Mike was doing his best not to panic, as Don was not responding to his loud pleas for his attention. As he was edging closer to hyperventilating, Raph and Leo crashed through the door, summoned by Mikey's frantic sounding screams.

"What happened?" Raph demanded, pushing Mike back into Leo's grasp, so that he could check over Don.

Leo took Mikey by the arm and helped him sit in a chair, and tried to calm him down, and keep him from passing out. "Mikey…Mike…breathe, bro, come on now, deep breaths, that's it," Mike's breathing evened out as Leo helped him calm himself. "Now, can you tell us what happened, exactly?"

"We were just talkin' and then he looked like he was spacing out, and now he's not answering me, is he gonna be okay?" Mike said in a rush, all in one breath, bent over sitting in the chair, trying to remember how to breathe properly. Raph nodded to show he understood Mike's ramblings, turning to fully focus on his sick brother, tuning out the rest of their conversation so that he could concentrate.

"What were you two talking about?" Leo asked quietly, after doing a quick breathing meditation, trying to stay calm himself.

"Not much, just how when he gets better he was gonna teach me some more first aid stuff and I told him how long he'd been out for, do you think I shouda waited to tell him?" Mikey asked, also keeping his voice down so as not to disturb Raph while he was trying to help their brother. Mikey looked over at Don's prone form. "Did I make him have some kinda relapse or somethin' like that?"

"I don't know, let's wait and see what Raph finds out once he's done checking him over." Leo pulled up another chair for himself, so that he could stay out of Raph's way, but still be in the room.

Don's thoughts were quickly beginning to run in circles as he asked himself the same questions over and over again, without knowing what the answers were. _I should be dead. There is no way I should have recovered from a coma like that. What in the world was in those darts? What kind of chemicals did the Foot get their hands on now? I hope they're not going to try and sell it on the black market or anything that would royally suck. A month is more than long enough for any drugs half-life should last, why was I out for so long? Did April and Raph find some sort of antidote to bring me back, or what? Guess I just need to ask Raph or April, whenever they come to see me again. Probably going to be April instead of Raph. From the way Mikey was talking, Raph is not going to be in the mood to talk to anyone for quite some time. Wait…Mikey…hang on, wasn't I just talking to Mikey…_ Don came out of his self musings to a scene of chaos, Raph frantically checking his vital signs, while Mikey and Leo sat in the far corner whispering to each other. _Ten bucks says they're talking about me. Okay, time to face the music for spacing out like that, bet that worried them to death, with me just waking after over a month…that still seems unreal, but…_

"Hey Raph," Don whispered, trying not to shock his hot-headed brother by his sudden awakening.

"Donny, how are you feeling?" Raph asked rapid fire questions, not giving Don a chance to answer. "Any light-headedness, nausea, dizziness? Can you remember what happened? Are you feeling faint? Do you have a headache, still?"

"Whoa, bro, I'm fine," Don raised both hands to ward off the barrage of questions. "I just spaced out there for a second, I feel fine, really." He reassured his brothers, seeing their disbelieving looks.

"Don't DO that to us, Donny," Mikey practically bounced back over to Don's side.

"Yeah, Don-san, you scared us half to death." Leo patted Don's hand in reassurance. "We just got you back; we can't handle losing you again so soon, even if it is only to your own thoughts."

"Well, yer vital signs seem normal; I guess yer okay, fer now." Raph looked at a loss for what to do now that he wasn't needed. He had not planned on coming to talk to Donny so soon after the fight in the dojo with the rest of his family. He really wanted to get back at those that had dared to hurt his brother, but he knew that Don was not a big fan of retribution, like he was, and he did not want to argue with him about what did and did not need to be done to those responsible. Because he didn't know how to talk to Don about his feelings about all this, Raph had planned to avoid him, at least until he could figure out what to say. "I guess I'll talk ta ya later, Donny," Raph edged towards the door, hoping to escape back to his room, "Holler if ya need anythin', okay?"

"Okay, Raph," Don could see that Raph was not ready to talk to him yet, for some reason, but he knew Raph would come to him when he was ready to talk about whatever it was that was on his mind. And Don knew better than to push Raphael to talk before he was ready. "I'll see you later."

"Right, okay then, see ya," Raph made good on his escape, heading back up the stairs at a slow pace, mind buzzing with all that had been happening.

~~**~~**~~


	15. Chapter 14

A/N: You wanted action…so here we go, kind of. Bad things are coming; the storm is not over yet for our dear terrapin family, as you shall see!! More coming, very soon, I promise.

And a thousand thanks to those of you who have reviewed, favoriteded, and are watching this story. It gives me great pleasure to see so many people enjoying the ramblings from my strange mind. Thank you all for taking the time and effort to read my story, you guys make it all worthwhile!!

Now, that's enough from me, on to the story!!

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~~**~~**~~

_No good deed goes unpunished._ ~ Mark Twain

~~**~~**~~

FOOT HQ – KARAI'S OFFICE

Karai was once again gazing out the large windows that graced her high-rise office, taking in the cityscape, watching the light from the setting sun filter through the streets. Karai was confident that her plan would not fail. All the pieces were coming together flawlessly. It was only a bonus that none of her many spies or ninja had found or heard anything from the turtles. Although she would not put it past Leonardo to drop off the radar for the sole purpose of making her overconfident, her plans were now at the point where even the turtle's interference would not cause them to be unsuccessful.

She was brought out of her musings by the sounds of someone entering her office. Using the mirror image of the room in the glass of the windowpane, she saw her second-in-command come to a stop a few feet from the front of her desk, bowing low and waiting for her acknowledgment, as he had been trained to do.

"What is it?" She asked, without turning from the view.

"Mistress Karai, we have located the turtle's lair. Their male ally was careless, and one of the ninja assigned to shadow him was able to follow him through the sewers," he reported, standing from his bow of respect.

"Excellent. Gather your best ninja. They will watch and wait, making sure of the location of the surviving three turtles before we launch an attack."

"As you wish, Mistress. We will not fail you," He said, with another bow.

"See that you don't. My father may have been accustomed to incompetence, but I will not tolerate it, not now, not ever." Her hands clenching into fists was the only visible sign of her anger.

"Yes, Mistress," He quickly bowed out of the office, shutting the door behind him, eager to be away from Karai's deadly anger.

_Twilight. How appropriate that is. The ending of the day, so similar to the end of the interfering turtles lives, and the dawning of a new age, free of their troublesome influence._ "We are so close, Father," Karai spoke aloud to the scene outside her window, as if her departed father could hear her words. "Soon you shall be avenged, and the freaks that call themselves the Hamato clan will be no more!"

~~**~~**~~

_Doing the impossible is easy, if you just take it one step at a time. _

~~**~~**~~

TURTLE'S LAIR - INFIRMARY

The next morning found Donatello alone in the infirmary for the first time in over a month. Waking up fully, he looked around the empty room and could see many signs of his long occupation of the sick bed. The trash can in the corner was surrounded by a small mountain of empty supply wrappers and other such garbage that had been tossed that direction and missed the can by a few inches. The bedside table had an incense bowl, half full of ashes from past burnings, along with several bags and packets of different herbal remedies, proof positive that his family had explored every possible avenue to encourage his recovery. Although he would have used every means available if any of his family had been laying on this bed for so long, he could not help but feel surprise at the lengths his family had gone through to help him.

_No time like the present, I guess. I need to get this room cleaned up and get back to work…if I even still have a job after all this time. The guys probably had to spend a good chunk of our funds to get all of these supplies to take care of me._ Don put his hands firmly on the edges of the bed, determined to get up and get back to his life. _Slow and steady does it…like the turtle I am._ Don laughed out loud at his thoughts. _Wow, I really am the picture of ninja speed, aren't I?_ Slowly easing himself into a sitting position, Don had to stop to catch his breath. _That shouldn't have taken so much effort. How out of shape am I?_ Don wondered, having never before been so ill that he could not get out of bed for more than a day or two.

Don shook his head to clear his thoughts, his obvious weakness only fueling his desire to get up and moving again. Finding that other than being slightly out of breath and a little tired, he was feeling all right; Don turned and hung his legs off the side of the bed, keeping one eye on the heart-rate and blood pressure monitors beside him. He waited, studying the readings for a few minutes, making sure that he was not in any danger of passing out from a sudden drop in blood pressure because he had been laying down on his shell for so long. He was not so out of it that he was going to risk his recovery just so he could get off of the bed.

Satisfied with the readings, knowing that standing up would not cause him undue harm; Don reached over and turned off the monitoring equipment before disconnecting the leads from his arm, side, and plastron. No sense freaking everyone out with a code blue alarm if the machine thought his heart had stopped, when all he was doing was removing the electrodes. That would not have been a good thing. His family could hardly stand any more stress, if their behavior yesterday when he had zoned out for a few minutes was any indication. _They are all at the end of their endurance, with all that has been going on. They've worried about me enough as it is._

Pleased at his progress so far, Don stood from the bed, glad to be on his own two feet, once again. Looking around, he tidied up what things were out of place, emptying the incense bowl in the trash can, and picking up what trash was on the floor and putting it in the trash can, where it belonged. He unplugged, sterilized and then put away all of the monitoring equipment, making sure the multiple machines were all still in good repair, so that they would be available if anything else was to go wrong.

Now that the Foot evidently had some new poison or drug that they were not shy to use on the turtles, Don was going to make sure that all of his home-made medical equipment was ready to go at a moment's notice. _All this just goes to show that you just never can tell when it might be needed. How much were they panicking when I went down? I sure am glad I was showing Raph how to work all this equipment. I would hart to think what would have happened to me if no one had known that I had all of this available. None of us have ever been so badly injured as to need all this before, shell, I wish it hadn't been me, I would have known what to do to help them. But then again, I wouldn't have wanted any of them to need it either._

As he finished cleaning up the infirmary, he could not find his mask and pads lying around anyplace. _Maybe they put my gear back in my room, or something. I have been out of commission for a while, and they wouldn't do me any good while I was in a coma, would they?_ Don felt exposed without his mask or pads, even though he was technically not any more covered with them as he was without. But it was a psychological distinction, as he was well aware, and the sooner he got his gear back on, the sooner he would feel normal again.

He walked toward the door way leading out to his lab, hoping that he was ready to face his family, certain that they would give him an earful about being up so soon after waking up from a month-long coma. Now that he had been up and moving around for a few minutes, he was glad to feel the slight soreness in his legs and arms fading. He was also happy that his family had obviously made an effort to keep him from getting muscle atrophy while he was unconscious.

_I guess Raph really had been listening when I was teaching him about the effects of prolonged bed rest, and how to keep someone from losing the use of their arms and legs. I did not give him enough credit, if I am surprised by that. I need to remember to thank him, later, when he is ready to talk to me._ Opening the door, he was surprised to see April, of all people, sitting when her back to him, looking up something on his wall of computers in the far side of his lab.

"What are you doing, April?" Don asked, keeping his voice pitched low, trying not to startle her, but it didn't work like he had planned.

She jumped, squeaking loudly in surprise, spinning around to face him. "Don…what in the world?" April stood, moving quickly to his side, where he was leaning heavily on the wall. "You shouldn't be out of bed yet! What are you doing?" Don was surprised that April's squeal had not caused anyone else to come and see what was going on.

"April, I'm fine. Don't worry…" Don tried to calm her down as she started to rant at him for being out of bed, but she was not having any of it. "I know better than to risk a relapse, please, trust me…I feel fine, just ready to get back to my life, back to work…" Don could hardly stand at this point, exhausted from the cleanup he had done in the infirmary, and now all he wanted to do was sit down, before he fell down. After expending so much effort in convincing April that he was feeling better, he did not want to worry her by collapsing. He was able to move across the room and sat down heavily in his computer chair, glad to be off his feet, finally.

Tuning out April's lecturing; Don started thinking how odd it was that no one had come to investigate all of the noise that the two of them had made. As she was going off on a rant about resting properly and recovery time from a coma, he interrupted, "April, where is everyone?"

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	16. Chapter 15

A/N: This chapter is happening at the same time as the previous one. On another note, you may lash me with a wet noodle for the lateness of this update. What with school starting again for not only me, but my two elementary school children, life has been one big drama. But maybe this extra long chappy will help with the begging of forgiveness! Hopefully!

Anywho, enough of my excuses, on to the story!!

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_The closest to being in control we will ever be is in that moment we realize we're not. – _Brian Kessler

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ROOFTOPS – NEAR CENTRAL PARK – LOWER MANHATTAN

While Donatello was busy getting out of the bed before he should, his three brothers were out of the lair, together, for the first time since Don had gotten hit by the Foot's poisonous darts. Nevertheless, it felt very strange, to be out patrolling the rooftops, without their brother. None of them wanted to think of what life would be like if they had lost their brainy brother. Even though Raphael was the only one that was vocal about getting back at the Foot for what they did to Don; Leo and Mike both, were eager to help Raph stomp on some Foot ninja, and show them that they could not hurt their family without consequences. Leo did not want to go against Splinter's direct order's, but if they happened to come across any stray Foot ninja while they were out tonight, he would not be holding Raph back, nor would Mikey.

Officially, this was to be a light training run, to help them get back into shape, as all three had been neglecting their training even as their brother had been laying in a coma. But, in reality, Mikey had convinced Leo and Master Splinter to let the three of them go topside to blow off some steam, and hopefully help Raph calm down a bit. After so long staying in the lair, all three of them could not deny feeling that being back out in the fresh air was wonderful. The only thing that could make it better would have been if Don had been able to come out with them. It was strange to try to use their normal training techniques when they were one turtle short. But they were determined to make an effort to get back in shape. Especially since they all wanted to take the fight to the Foot clan, and in the condition they were in, as of right now, they would not win against the Foot.

After all, it would not do anyone any good to try and get retribution for Donatello if they ended up getting creamed by the enemy instead. By silent agreement, the three ninja decided to scope out the newly designated Foot headquarters that Don had discovered shortly before the night he was hit with the darts. Karai had been using several of Saki's known fake business fronts to start up her own false businesses, and Donatello had been researching the physical locations she was buying, trying to find the building she was using to house her ninja, just in case. It turned out to be a point in their favor, after all. Even though, at the time, everyone, even Master Splinter had thought that it was a wasted effort on Don's part. How wrong they all were. Now Don's paranoia was coming in handy, again.

~~**~~**~~

DOWNTOWN - LOWER MANHATTAN

As the three brothers crouched on the rooftop across the street from the high-rise office building Don had decided that Karai must be using as the new headquarters' for the Foot clan, their thoughts were focused on their missing brother, still recovering at home from the poison Karai had seen fit to have her ninja shoot at him. Without the fourth member of their team, Leonardo was painfully aware that they were without a quarter of their fighting strength, not to mention the technological expertise that Donatello brought to the team.

They had just watched Karai herself enter the building, proving that Donatello was correct that this was the building she was using. Leo had to use all of his persuasive powers, with Mikey's help, to hold Raph back from attacking her on sight. Now, the three brothers were carefully gathering what data they could from watching the building, timing the patrols and counting the number of Foot soldiers in each patrol, trying to get an idea of what kind of security Karai had in place around the building.

So far, after nearly two hours of constant vigilance, they had not discovered very much that was encouraging. Leo was feeling the absence of their brainy brother. Without Don's techno knowledge, there did not seem to be any hope for them to get into the building without setting off some kind of alarm, or notifying the entire building of their presence. It seemed that Karai had done an admirable job of making her headquarters completely ninja-proof, much to Leo's chagrin. He could almost admire the skill she had shown in setting up her defenses, if he wasn't so intent on trying to find a safe way past them.

Motioning silently to his brothers, Leo lead them away from the building, intent on getting back to the lair, and checking on Donatello. They had been gone now for almost four hours, and he was not entirely convinced that Don was out of danger, yet. After all, anything could happen when recovering from such a long time in a coma. He did not say anything to Mike or Raph, but Leo had done his own research while Don was out, and he was terrified that something would cause him to have a relapse, even though Leo knew that April and Master Splinter were both watching over him while they were gone.

From what little they were able to learn from their long watch of the outside of the building, it was going to take more than just their impressive ninja skills to get past the defenses, and to Karai. Leo wanted to talk some of this out with his brothers once they got home. Maybe, between them, they could come up with a plan, some way that they might lure her out of the building before they attacked, negating all of her many security measures. Leo mulled this over as he lead them back to the lair, none of them in any mood to make conversation, after seeing what they were up against.

Each of them were so wrapped up in their own thoughts, they did not notice the silent shadow watching them, tracking their progress as they made their way back home.

~~**~~**~~

_I'm finding my way back to sanity, again  
I'm looking past the shadows  
Of my mind, into the truth and  
I'm trying to identify the voices in my head  
_~ Breathing _by Lifehouse_

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TURTLE LAIR

April did not know what to say to Donatello's demand for information on the whereabouts of his missing family members. Before they left, trusting April with the care of their recovering brother, Leo had made her promise not to tell Don where they had gone or what they were doing, so as to keep Don from worrying about them. As much as she wanted to keep her promise to Leo, she found that she could not lie or keep anything from Don, especially when he looked at her with that level of trust and expectation in his eyes.

All April could do was try to avoid the issue, by redirecting the conversation for as long as possible, in the vain hopes that Don would either get sidetracked and drop it, or that his brothers would return from their scouting trip and explain their whereabouts themselves.

"April, where is everybody?" April looked up, trying to keep the worry from showing in her eyes, as Don repeated his question.

"They'll be back in a minute, now, why don't we get you something to eat, maybe some tea, or light broth might go down easy…we don't want to shock your system with solid food so soon after you coming off the IV fluids…" April rambled, coaxing Don to stand and follow her into the kitchen while she bustled about fixing him some food, trying to look busy.

"Where are my brothers, April? It's not like them to just leave, especially after this last month. What's going on?" Don gingerly eased himself down into his chair at the kitchen table, trying his best to not show how exhausted he really was. _Guess I still need more rest. You'd think after a month of unconsciousness, I would be wide awake._ As disoriented as he felt, April's attempt to distract him from finding out the status of his family was failing, miserably.

"Donny," April beseeched, as she moved about the kitchen starting some water to boil in the turtle's large teapot, "Master Splinter is in his room, meditating or resting, I think. And your brothers just…stepped out…for a…they'll be back in…before you know it." April stumbled through her vague explanation, desperate to keep Don seated at the table, and not up, looking for his absent brothers, like she knew he wanted to.

Before she had even finished talking, it was evident that Don was not at all happy to hear that the others had left. He slumped down in his chair, all pretences of not being utterly exhausted gone from his bearing. It broke April's heart to see Don being; well, so unDon-like. Any other time, he would have been up in a flash, desperate to find the rest of his family, and searching tirelessly until they were all safe and accounted for. But, it was obvious that pretending to be fully recovered had taken too much energy to maintain, now that he knew his most important audience was not home at the moment. She shook her head at her gloomy musings, and moved to finish preparing Don's drink. It was a sign as to how distracted Don was that he did not even react to the shrill sound of the teapot announcing that the water was at a boil. Nor did he offer up any kind of resistance when April served him a mug of Splinter's herbal tea, instead of the coffee she knew he would have chosen for himself.

"Don't worry too much, here, drink your tea. We need to get you back to bed." Don listlessly sipped at the hot healing beverage, not really registering the sharp, salty taste. "You've had a rough month and you need to recuperate your strength before you try to get back into the swing of things around here."

"Yeah, I know…it's just…I…I wish they hadn't gone back out there, just yet, you know? I mean, I know that they can take care of themselves, but…" Don lowered his head, unable to meet April's eyes, as he voiced his worries, hoping that he didn't sound like he was complaining like a child. "With the Foot trying to drug us…poison us…I just don't want a repeat of this to happen to one of them. I wouldn't wish a month-long coma on my worst enemy; much less one of my brothers…does that even make any sense, at all?" Don finally looked back up into April's sorrowful eyes, seeing understanding and shared pain echoed back at him. It seemed like he was not the only one worried about his brothers getting targeted next.

"Oh, Don, it makes perfect sense," April sat down next to him, placing her hand on his arm in an attempt to offer what comfort she could. "It's okay to be concerned about the safety of your brothers. After all, it's not that often that you are the one injured so severely. But you need to focus on your own recovery now. You gave us all quite a scare, and you have to let yourself heal, which takes time, as you well know, genius," she said with a smirk. "If one of the others had gotten up less than a day after such a long time in a coma, you would be having a fit, and you would force them to stay in the bed for a few days, and you know it."

"I know, I know," Don said with a small smile, not arguing the point at all. "But you have to concede the fact that I wouldn't just up and leave like they did, now would I?" Don countered.

"No, you wouldn't, but they are not you, are they?" April looked at him out of the corner of her eye, hoping to cheer him up some.

"Fortunately, no, they're not," Don replied with a snort.

"Come on, you, back to bed. You've been up long enough, and I'm not nearly strong enough to carry you by myself, if you pass out from overdoing it."

"All right, all right, you win," Don watched as April stood first, taking his now empty tea mug and placing it in the sink to be washed later. He let her help him up out of the chair and back across the lair, to his lab, and the loathed sick bed.

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	17. Chapter 16

A/N: So sorry on the lateness of this update…I could not seem to get this scene written, three trys later, here it is, and I give up. Please let me know how much this blows, I might take it down aand scrape it and start over again if you guys think it sucks as much as I do… So, please let me know, if anyone is still reading this, for that matter…

Disclaimer thingy: Still don't own 'em, I'm kinda glad I don't at this point, I'm sure they are thankful, as well.

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_Next to knowing when to seize an opportunity, the most important thing in life is to know when to forego an advantage._ -Benjamin Disraeli

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LOWER TUNNELS – SEWERS

Shadows flickering against the brick walls followed near silently, as Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo made their way back through the labyrinth that was the sewer tunnels leading towards their home. As they neared a large junction of intersecting runoff tunnels that marked the halfway point in their journey home, Mikey stopped suddenly, earning him a stern look from his brothers, both of whom were more than ready to get home and check on Donatello.

"What's up, Mike?" Raph asked, trying to control his restlessness at stopping, more than ready to get back home, as this was, by far, the longest he had been away from Don since this whole mess started over a month ago.

"Shh, I thought I heard something." Mike whispered in a barely audible hiss, leaning his head to one side, trying to pick up any sounds that did not belong. Hoping that Mike was just being paranoid, both Leo and Raph quieted their breathing and joined Mike in listening to the ambient noise around them.

The three ninjas slipped into the shadows lining the walls of the junction they had stopped in, wasting no time in hiding, all having heard the tell-tell sound of someone further back from where they had just come from trying to breathe quietly. Motioning to Raph to come with him to get behind the unknown follower, Leo signaled to Mike to go down a side passage and draw the lurker out. Each brother took up their positions, ready to defend themselves and each other the instant the threat showed itself.

~~**~~**~~

The approaching figure did not realize what lay in wait for him as he rounded the corner, coming out of the all consuming shadows to look about franticly. He did not want to report to his superior that he had lost track of the turtle-freaks. Better to get into a fight with the freaks, and lose, than report failure to Mistress Karai, at this point. The rumors had been flying through the lower ranks of the Foot clan. Everyone, from the newest jenin to Karai's second-in-command, knew what was at stake with the current operations, and it did not take a genius to realize what would happen to whoever messed up her plans at this point in the game.

He was not ready to join his ancestors, yet, and had plans to see his next birthday…so losing sight of the turtles was not something he was ready to admit, to anyone. "This is not worth my _life_, no matter what reward, or _honor_ I'm supposedly gaining, this sucks_," _he whispered out loud to himself.

Deciding to cut his losses while he was still breathing, the Foot ninja looked around the junction one last time, then turned on his heel and fled back the way he had come. Not knowing for sure which of the turtles he had been following, as he had been unable to get a good look at him, he decided to go back to Headquarters and report that he had followed the turtle's male ally to the junction, and let his superiors deal with Mistress Karai's temper. He had decided that now was a good time to visit his cousin in Canada, and maybe rethink his chosen profession.

~~**~~**~~

The turtles were shocked to see a Foot ninja, so close to their home, just turn tail and run like that. They shared a look before deciding to check the surrounding tunnels for any more Foot spies before they went back to the lair, not wanting to give away their home's location. Even if Don was back at 100%, none of them wanted to lose another home to the Foot clan.

After a thorough recon of the surrounding tunnels, they meet back up with each other at the junction, ready to get inside their home and check on the rest of the family. After the near miss, their nerves were shot.

~~**~~**~~

"We need to check with Donny and make sure that all of his counter-measures and cameras are up and running. I don't want to be caught off-guard if there is any more Foot in the tunnels. That was way too close for comfort." Leo started dictating as soon as the camouflaged bricks, which made up their front door, slid closed.

"No joke, right," Mikey added, still a bit freaked out at seeing Foot so close to their home.

"This is getting' retard'd, fearless," Raph ranted, throwing his hands up in the air. "Why didn't you let me take that guy out? That would'a solved a load'a problems fer us, ya know."

"If we had 'taken out' that Foot, it would have only proven that they were getting close to us, and I don't want to go out advertising to the Foot that we know they are down here looking for us. Can you try to understand a little strategy before you fly off the handle and put this whole family at risk?" Leo had adopted his patented 'lecture pose', a sure sign that he was less than pleased with Raph's opinion of their lack of action against their enemies tonight.

"What are you guy's arguing about, now," Don piped up from the entrance to the lab, pulled out of his hated sick bed by the raised voices. He was relieved to see all three of his brother's home again, uninjured, even if they were in the middle of fighting over something, again. _It's nice to see that not that much had changed while I've been ill. _

"Can't a guy sleep for a few hours, without waking to raised voices around here?" Don asked in jest, amused beyond words at the shocked looks on his brother's faces at seeing him on his feet. April stood next to Don, trying her hardest not to laugh out loud at them, hiding er growing smile behind her hand, leaning on the doorframe. Splinter walked out of his room, drawn by the return of his remaining sons, waiting to hear how their training run had gone.

"DON, what are you doing out of bed!!??!!" Three voices claimed at once, effectively stopping the growing argument in its tracks, as Leo and Raph were more interested in Don's well—being than their petty squabble over protecting their home.

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	18. Chapter 17

AN: She is alive!! Here you go, my faithful readers, and a thousand apologies for the longish wait for this update... you know how it is, Life and all. But enough of my excuses, on to the story!! Pretty please with turtles on top, let me know what you think. Reviews feed the author, and get you updates faster, too!!

Still own nothing... just so you know.

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It is later than you think.

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Master Splinter sat in his recliner in the living area, watching the inquisition his sons were bombarding Donatello with, having come out of his meditation and joining the family in the main room at the sound of raised, fearful voices, earlier. Now, the faintest signs of a smirk could be seen by those who knew him well. Seeing three of his sons express their overwhelming worry and concern for their fourth brother was heart-warming to the old rat, knowing deep in his heart of hearts, that no matter what Fate tried to throw at them, they would always come through it in the end, as a family.

After everyone had calmed down from the shock of seeing Donatello up and around so soon, the family was quick to gather around the large kitchen table to discuss this newest invasion of their territory by the Foot Clan.

As the lecturing settled down, Don was able to ask some questions of his own. More specifically, what they had hoped to accomplish by going out looking for the Foot.

"What good will it do, for one of you to get hit by one of those poison darts that took me down? We already know it was Karai and the Foot Clan, what more do you need to know?" Don asked, exasperated at his brother's apparent lack of common sense.

"That's what I said, bro… but we do need to figure out how different tha' Foot goon are gonna act, now that Karai is in charge," Mikey added.

"Come on Don-san, give us a little credit," Leo turned his palms up in a placating gesture, trying to calm his normally rational brother, before he got any madder at them. "We went out strictly to gather Intel, not to engage. I, for one, do not want to repeat this last month, with anyone. By the way, that warehouse you found, that Karai bought… it looks like she's using it as one of her base of operations. We saw her and some Foot leaving the building while we were scouting."

"Yeah, and we're gonna need your tech know-how ta get in tha' place… she's ninja-proofed it," Raph said, ready to get back out and take down those responsible for Donatello's suffering.

"What about that Foot we saw out in the sewer tunnels?" Mikey asked, not seeing Leo motion with his eyes to keep that bit of knowledge to himself.

"What do you mean, there were Foot here…near us in the sewer?" Don asked, alarmed at this apparent breach in his security systems. "Where exactly did you see him? How far from the entrance were you? Did you fight him off? What happened?" Don's rapid fire questions overwhelmed his brothers, Don not waiting for an answer to any of his inquiries, making to get up and check his security system and the recorded footage from his cameras that he had placed throughout the tunnel system nearest their home.

"Now, Donny, there's no need for you to get all worked up about it, the Foot goony left, we didn't even have to scare him off or nothin'. Don't go stressin' yerself out 'bout it, we've got it under control." Raph stood and places a restraining hand on Don's shoulder, stopping him from running off to his lab and checking the security footage.

As the debate over which course of action to take wore on, Splinter was keeping a very diligent eye on Donatello's apparently waning energy levels. It was becoming obvious that he was not yet ready to be up out of the bed.

"My sons," Splinter interjected, stopping the debate in its tracks. "This endless bickering solves nothing. Now is the time to stand united against the threats against this family. As for you, Donatello, you must now return to your bed and rest. You have not fully recovered from your ordeal, and I, for one, have no wish to see you suffer a relapse because you denied yourself adequate time to recover."

* * *

The next morning came early for all of the lair's occupants, in the form of the proximity alarms going off, setting the bright red strobe lights on that Don had installed in every room of the lair. The alarm was silent, with the lights, blindingly bright, the only indication that something was wrong, so as not to give away their position in the sewers, as sound travels easily in the tunnels surrounding their home. The family fell out of their respective beds, gathering in the living area, weapons at the ready, prepared to defend their home to the last breath.

Master Splinter waited a moment for Donatello to retreat into his lab to turn off the lights, since they had done their job of awaking and alerting the family of the approaching danger. By the time Donatello had reached the computer nook in his lab, his family had gathered behind him, anxious to see what the danger was this time. In less than a minute, Don was able to pinpoint where in the sewers the intruders were located, and pulled up the cameras so that his brothers and father could also see who approached.

"It looks like your lonely friend is back, guys" Don noted the large group of Foot ninja encroaching on what they considered their territory. "And he brought loads of party-crashing friend with him, this time."

"We must insure that they do not know how close they are to reaching their goal, my sons." Splinter stated, leaving the specifics of their home's defense in the hands of his very capable sons.

"Okay, here's the plan," Leo started outlining their approach, making sure to keep Donnie at home, because he was not yet ready for a physical fight so soon after waking from a month-long coma.

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All things are difficult before they are easy. - Dr. Thomas Fuller

* * *

Donatello was sweating.

He tried to work on his laptop as the many monitors around him flashed with warnings of unauthorized and unknown movement coming closer to their home. He could not ignore the challenge his own brothers had placed on his skills. The entire clan was depending on him alone to run diversionary tactics and keep the encroaching Foot soldiers away from their hidden lair and from realizing how absurdly close to their goal they actually were. Luck would have it that Don had quite a few tricks up his proverbial sleeve for just such an occasion as this, as he had anticipated such dishonorable actions from the Foot for many years. The last time their enemies had found the Hamato's home, Master Splinter had been kidnapped and nearly killed. If not for their great fortune of befriending Danny, they most certainly would have lost their Father all those years ago.

While Don's brothers spread out among the tunnels closest to their home, Master Splinter retreated to his room, to meditate and mostly stay out of Don's way as Don started activating the many traps and nasty surprises designed to keep intruders away from discovering their home. All of the turtles had agreed with Don's suggestion of taking down the Foot's computer systems and crippling Karai's empire from the inside, if possible, while the attack on their home was underway, when she would least expect such a counter attack. But his brothers did not think Don could do it, but Don planned to prove them all wrong.

Donatello shifted into his serious programming mode, a state in which he didn't feel hungry, scared, hot, or tired. Mentally he left his body and inhabited the program. He imagined the computer code as physical objects, with himself in miniature, looking around, checking the structure as it was being built around him. It was like watching a skyscraper being built at super speed, with control of the program being the steel girders supporting the main structure as he moved through each line of code in the program from top to bottom, being redirected by hallways, staircases, and other obstacles, each with specific rules established by Don's code. When the building started to collapse due to overbalancing; he snapped back to his normal size and typed some adjustments, then tried again.

This was undisciplined, undocumented, no-rules programming. Donatello didn't need flowcharts or user requirements. He had been writing computer code since he was six and had built his first computer from scrap his father had found in dumpsters and junk yards. He could program as fast as he could think, and typed as fast as he thought, over a hundred words a minute. He could code while exhausted. He could code in any mood, in any place. His cockiness was not misplaced, even if he made great efforts to stay humble with his family. He had a wild thought that he might be one of the best programmers alive because he did not just _write_ code; he invented it as he went. There was no manual or instructional class for the way that Don wrote code, it was all a product of years of making it up as he went along, with no teacher other than his own experiences of trial and error.

All of Don's obvious approaches hadn't worked. He knew they wouldn't work before he even tried them, but thought that perhaps in their failure, a better idea might emerge. Maybe something that didn't work would give him an idea for something else that might suggest a better approach. It wasn't much of a hope, but it was all he had, at this point. He was working on pure instinct, writing code by reflex, sometimes having to read it after he typed it just to know what it was he had wrote. The methodical method had failed. Now he was poking around in the dark, hoping to get lucky, although he would never confess to luck. It was "Managed Luck," he liked to think, a process of eliminating the impossible until the possible revealed itself. It was all dark alleys and deep wells. Poke and test.

Don wrote some programs to help him write other programs, leveraging his considerable genius. His computer screen filled with dots and colors, each indicating a different type of data, swirling and mixing like dirty water. Finally, all the processing ground to a halt. He had done it.

He had accomplished what his brothers had thought was impossible. He'd cracked into the main Foot server database and changed all of the access codes and erased all of the data that they had; everything from their legitimate business records and employee files to the lowest criminal pay-off list. It was all gone, all the back-ups and every redundant file was now gone, forever. There was no way that the Foot would ever recover from such a blow, and Don had made sure to cover his tracks well. In place of all of those files, his new code virus was in place. Anything that was replaced onto the system would be copied and sent to Don, and immediately erased from their servers again. This guaranteed, even if they had hard copies and attempted to restore their files, they would be erased again and again.

Along with his erasure program, all of his countermeasures located at strategic points in the sewer tunnels had performed flawlessly, as he set them off remotely, keeping a diligent eye on the enemy's progress towards the lair. Apparently, the Foot was not as aware of the turtle's home's location as they thought; the main group of Foot soldiers still more than a mile from the closest tunnel leading to the lair. Donatello was going to have to question his brothers again, later, about where exactly that lone Foot had been spotted. Because, from what he was seeing on his hidden cameras and motion detectors was not any greater threat to stumbling into their home than the occasional maintenance worker they had all learned to avoid by the time they were five years old.

Don would have to get back at his brothers later for causing such panic at such little cause. Even if the data he was able to siphon from Karai's personal files lent credence to the belief that the Foot was aware of their home's exact location. But all this panic was turning out to be pointless. As long as the rest of the turtle clan was cautious in their comings and goings to the surface, there shouldn't be any additional threat to their well-being, after this latest attack was finished. Even if Don himself was eager to get back out and defend his family and his home, he could not help but feel greatly relieved that Karai was not as informed as she thought she was.

Whatever god of good fortune had chosen to smile on Don's family, sure had a great sense of humor, causing all this unnecessary distress, but as long as at the end of the day, he and his family was all safe and mostly sound, Don would continue to count his blessings.


	19. Chapter 18

A/N: Here you go my pretties… the demise of the Foot clan, and that wench Karai. That'll show her, tryin' to kill Donny… any who, only a chapter or two left in this, hopefully it won't take me another month to get my muse to co-operate.

Still don't own them, by the by.

Enjoy, I know I did!!

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~~**~~**~~

_The problem with troubleshooting is that trouble shoots back._

~~**~~**~~

After the last of the Foot could no longer be detected on Donatello's monitoring systems, and were safely away from anywhere near the Hamato's home, Don called his brothers back to the lair, anxious to share with them his success at hacking the entire Foot empire. Don had already informed Master Splinter of his triumph and was currently keeping his father updated on the status and location of his brothers, and the fleeing enemy. No one wanted to chance being caught unawares, or possibly lead the Foot any closer to their home than they already were. Even with this latest success, Donatello was mulling over the logistics and possible relocation sites in case the family decided that the risk was too great and they needed to move again.

Even though the main group of ninja had been nowhere near finding their home, some of the advance scouts had gotten a little too close for Don's comfort. And nothing on this earth was more important to Don than insuring his family's continued safety. At least as much as he was able, given the lifestyle they lived. There was no accounting for the everyday dangers they all faced every time they went above, to street level.

As Donatello finished the last of his coding, insuring everything was running smoothly, he heard the click and slide of the hidden brick door, announcing the return of at least one of his brothers.

"So, how'd it go on your end, Don-san?" Michelangelo asked as he came down the stairway, still twirling a nunchaku, trying to burn off the excess energy left over from the adrenaline rush, but not actually getting to fight any ninja that night.

"It went great, Mikey," Don responded, barely contained excitement and the thrill of success coloring his voice. "I wish I could see the looks on their faces when they realize their entire system is one big crash!"

"That's great, Don," Mike said with slightly forced cheer. "So, what, exactly, does this crash do for us? Won't Karai just be that much angrier at us and want to get back at us? She's already trying to kill us with poisons, who's to say she won't escalate to guns, or somethin' now, bro?"

"Well, to put it simply, I crippled her in the worst possible way. She can no longer run any of her legit or side businesses, all of her connections, her bank funds, everything is gone now. Thank goodness for technology, huh?" Don explained with a wide grin on his face, still glowing with happiness at what he had managed to accomplish. "I can't wait to see her try to recover from this; it's going to be so great having this threat off our backs for a while. We no longer will have to worry about her coming after us, if she can ever recover. She can't fund her clan of ninja wanna-be's or any of her under the table dealings and bribes that have been keeping the authorities in the dark for so long."

"Awesome, I guess," Mike was still unsure as to how stopping Karai from running her companies had anything to do with the Foot's continued harassment of his family, but then again, that was one of the reasons he usually left the planning to the turtles with the big brain and talent for strategy. "I hope it all works out like you hope, bro, for all our sakes…" Mike mumbled as he retreated into the kitchen for a drink, holstering his weapon as he went, all of his nervous energy now redirected into trying not to worry about this latest plan his brothers has cooked up.

"Oh, don't worry, Mikey," Don assured his little brother. "This is a good thing, I promise."

"Okay, bro, if you say so," Mike decided to quit worrying about something that was already a done deal, and redirected his focus on Don's still recovering health. "Now that all tha' excitement's over, don't you have a date with a pillow and bed, Donny?" Mike called back towards the lab as he dug around in the 'fridge for something to drink.

"Yeah, yeah, you're right." Don finished shutting down his surveillance and counter-measure programs and stood from his chair, walking towards the main living area. "Back to the accursed bed for me, I guess." Don glanced up to the front entrance, trying not to worry about how long it was taking Leo and Raph to get back from their scouting of the near tunnels for any leftover Foot ninja.

"You are well aware that your family only wants what is best for you, my son," Master Splinter added from his place on the well-worn recliner in the main living area. "There has been more than enough excitement for one morning, and you know that you are not fully recovered yet, Donatello."

"Yes, Master," Don replied with a respectful bow, careful not to let his fatigue show. "I am on my way to the bed, just as soon as the others are back, I promise."

"Very well. I trust I will not have to remind you of the risks of a relapse, should you decide to ignore your body's needs." Splinter leveled his patented Parental Glare of Impending Doom should Donatello chose to be stubborn or disobedient in this matter.

"Of course, Master. They should be back any minute and then I will go straight back to bed."

"I'll make sure of it," Leo added, coming down the stairs, followed by a grumpy looking Raph.

"It appears that you shall be in good hands," Splinter looked to his returning sons. "I trust there were no complications, Leonardo?"

"No, Master," Leo assured him with a bow of his own. "Don's counter-measures worked perfectly, and none of us even had to engage the enemy at all."

"Excellent. I am most glad that your plan was successful, and you and your brothers avoided being retargeted by those most dishonorable darts."

"Yeah, tha' plan worked so great, I dinna even get to pound on one Foot goon," Raph grouched, leaning over the back of the couch. "Where's the justice in that, I ask ya?"

~~**~~**~~

_One meets his destiny often in the road he takes to avoid it._

~~**~~*~~

FOOT HEADQUARTERS

Silence reigned supreme throughout the entire Foot tower in the days following the computer system crash. From the lowliest jenin to the highest ranked Elite, every clan member was practicing the art of stealth and hiding from all possible conflicts, none wanting to dare the current wrath of their leader, Mistress Karai.

Lenient and forgiving was not usually used to describe the leader of the Foot clan, but even the small bit of forgiveness Karai might have given in the past, as one who was often at the mercy of circumstance herself when her father ruled, was non-existent now. Never before, had her warriors feared for their very lives at the smallest possible, and sometimes imagined, failures. Not even Master Oroku Saki showed such absolute ruthlessness as Karai was now flaunting about Foot headquarters. No one was safe from her burning anger. Now, more than ever before, her heritage was apparent.

Not three weeks past, had all missions and business ground to a total and complete halt. No one dared ask when the clan would pick up the pieces and start working again. All knew what had happened. Someone had utterly crippled the Foot clan, and almost all who were associated with them. Businesses were failing as they lost their financial backing, and the under-handed protection from legal authorities. Police and local government officials had stopped receiving the blood-money to look the other way, so there were daily raids on all of the clan's under-world holdings. Warehouses were raided by police; clan members waiting to be freed were left to rot in jail, no longer guaranteed an out.

Life, as they knew it, was over.

The clan was a sinking ship, and no one could get out. The price for abandoning the clan strictly enforced, at the front door, if necessary. It was only a matter of time now, before even those ninja assigned to kill deserters, became deserters themselves. No one wanted to go down with the ship, as it were. The authorities were getting awfully close to shutting them down completely, not even threats keeping them away anymore, now that the money, and power behind that money, was gone.

~~**~~**~~

Unadulterated panic was the only way Karai could describe her current mood. Everything she had worked for, suffered for, was now no more than a memory, ashes scattered to the four winds. The Foot leaders in Japan were clamoring for an update of the data recovery efforts, as their systems had experienced the same universal erasure and crash as the New York branch. No amount of reinstallation or recovery was possible. And neither branch had the capital, money, or influence, anymore to replace the obviously compromised computer servers.

_So much for technology saving us. It has only destroyed us, here, in the end._ Karai sat slumped over at her desk, paper reports scattered in from of her, as their computers, at every level, were now no more than glorified paperweights. Soon, bills would be coming due, and she no longer had the means to pay them. Food and other necessary supplies were running out, as was the man-power she could wield.

_Is this all that is left of the mighty Foot. To go out like this, with a whimper, is below us, but what else is there, now, here, at the end of all things._ Karai could not uncover who, of dozens of enemies, had been able to wreak such total and absolute destruction to a world-wide organization, without leaving a trace. The list of enemies was long, and now, she no longer had the power to discover the culprit. Seppuku was starting to look like her only option at this point. _Maybe I can call out Leonardo and his family; do battle with them, one last time. To go down as a warrior, not a disgrace. Hmm, that bears further thought._

~~**~~**~~


	20. Chapter 19

AN: Here at the end, at last… but this story never ends, as long as we, the fans, keep it alive in our hearts and minds, and are never afraid to share it with others.

Thanks to all you loyal readers, you who have stuck with me here, at the bitter end… well not so bitter, as long in coming. Please forgive me, on last time for the wait between updates, but as we all know, Real Life must take over now and again. Hopefully this is not the end of my writings, just this one chapter. Hopefully I will see you all soon, in other stories, as they come about!

As always, I own nothing… I wouldn't know what to do with it all if I did!

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The greatest paradox of them all is to speak of "civilized warfare." - Author Unknown

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TURTLE LAIR

"Come on, Donny, you got to admit, you enjoyed taking down the almighty Foot Clan, single-handedly?" Casey asked, amazed at Don's humility after his utter success. One would think that Don had only checked his e-mail, for all the satisfaction he was showing in accomplishing what they all had thought was impossible.

"Pride is a sin, Casey," April stated from her seat at the kitchen table. She lifted her tea cup, sharing a look with Leo and Master Splinter as she relaxed after the stress of the past two months. The entire Hamato clan was trying to wind down after their return from yet another patrol, looking for clues, trying to make sure that the Foot clan stayed down. They all were hoping that this latest defeat was as total as it seemed.

"Don doesn't have a big ego, you know," Mikey added, sitting up from lying on the couch playing his latest video game on the big screen TV, catching up on all of the missed gaming time, a sin in Mikey-world.

"Donny, ya really out did yaself this time." Raph called down from the upper level, towel clenched in his hands around the back of his neck, fresh from a hot shower after sparring with Leo out of sheer boredom. "Betcha Karai and the rest of her Foot goonies didn't have a clue about ya bein' able ta raid them like that. I can't rightly see how ya was able ta magic it, myself, but, man, I woulda paid money ta see all their faces when they realized they was as broke as us." Raph joined his family in having a good chuckle at the enemy's expense.

"I guess it did have the element of surprise, didn't it!" Don agreed, looking around the room at his family, seeing the blatant appreciation for his efforts in all of their faces. To have done this, the supposedly impossible, alone and while still recovering from the enemies most recent attempt to destroy them, was a most wonderful feeling, and Don felt absolutely no need to brag about it, regardless of how Casey or anyone else thought he should act. Humble about his 'magic computer super powers' as Mikey called it, he didn't want his family to think he was too full of himself, not now, especially when they were finally getting along again, after so much time wasted, fighting amongst themselves.

Raph disappeared into his room, only to emerge moments later once again sporting his protective gear, sai sheathed at his sides, tying on his signature red bandana as Leo pasted him on the stairs on the way to his own hot shower. They were all enjoying a refreshing moment of downtime from their patrols. They had been very busy the last few weeks, monitoring the deteriorating (mostly disbanded) Foot clan scrambling around the city, like rats trying to jump a sinking ship. It was almost amusing, in of itself, for such a once powerful entity, to be brought down by one being, remotely no less, was almost laughable, if the Hamato clan's very survival wasn't hinging on the outcome of the Foot's unlikely recovery.

* * *

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and when the necessity is survival she can be one mean mother, but its' her child invention that is the real dangerous one. – Darien Fawkes

* * *

"Here, watch the screen as the cuff inflates. When it has completed the reading, you can remove it, or leave it on and it will take intermittent or continuous readings based on the settings you can control here on the side." Donatello was in full-on lecture mode, training Mikey on some of the medical equipment in the lab. Now that Don was back on his feet, he wasted no time in keeping his promise to his youngest sibling, fully intending to cram as much knowledge into Mikey head as he could. Mikey wanting to know how to help, if there was a next time, was something Don could throw his complete support behind.

Surprisingly enough, Mikey was absorbing the finer points of some of the less common(for most people, but not ninjas who fight crime as often as his family) medical treatments at an incredible rate. _It just goes to show what Mike can accomplish when he puts his mind to it._ Don was glad that he wanted to learn, and was happy to teach him, now that he was taking it seriously. In the past, Mike was the last turtle to volunteer for anything that resembled work or extra effort on his part, unless he was dragged kicking and screaming (or threatened), but now, after feeling like he was worthless to help, Mike was focused on learning all he could.

"Man, bro," Mike breathed at the end of another long day of learning at Don's 'School for Mutant Medicine', "You really know your stuff… I mean, I always knew you were smarter than me, but how do you do it?"

"Do what, Mikey?" Don asked, turning to face his brother after reshelving the equipment he had pulled out for today's instructions.

"Keep all this stuff straight. I mean, you learned all this on your own, while I was busy playing games and stuff. And you did it without any of us asking you to, and made it into some kind of freaky hobby, or something." Mike looked away, unable to met Don's eyes when Don was looking at him with such understanding.

"Oh Mikey," Don reached over to put his hands on Mike's shoulders, trying to reassure his brother.

"I guess… what I'm trying to say… thanks Don, thanks for truly putting our family first, for making sure we would always bounce back after all the trouble we get into." Mike leaned into his brother's embrace, hugging him tightly, like he would never let go, hoping he could convey exactly how much he appreciated all of Don's efforts all of these years.

"Mike, don't worry about it, please," Don gripped his brother tightly, trying to stay calm in the face of such an unexpected emotional outburst, from Mikey of all turtles. "It was never work, or anything like that. And I don't feel like I got cheated, or anything, so please… just don't think I didn't want to learn how to help you guys. You know how much I enjoy figuring out how stuff works, don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess," Mike sniffled, getting his emotions back under control.

"Well, think of it this way. I not only try to fix machines and all the technology around here, but the biology as well!" Don stated with a small smile. "At first, it was just the thrill of knowing something I didn't know before, but after a while, it became just one more way I could fight for our family. Even if all I was fighting were infections and the occasional flu bug, it just really makes me happy to have one more thing I am able to fix, for all of us."

"You are an amazing person, Donny, and a true brother. Please, don't ever change!" Mike ended the hug, turning to leave the lab, emotional exhaustion creeping up on him. The thought of a nap was pulling him towards his room, and he knew that Don wouldn't mind being alone in his lab for a few hours after teaching him.

"It takes on to know one, Mikey," Don stated to the empty room after his brother's retreat. Don sighed quietly, moving back to his storage area at the back of the lab, ready to get back to putting everything in its place.

No one would ever say that their lives were anywhere close to normal, but with the Foot clan all but a bad memory, and no other large threats on the horizon, it was finally looking like the Hamato clan would get some well deserved rest. After all, if nothing else, they deserved it after the last few years. But, no one knows what tomorrow might bring, especially with this family. Even in the City that Never Sleeps, there was always something to do, or trouble to get into, if you only know where to look.

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The city is not a concrete jungle, it is a human zoo. - Desmond Morris 


End file.
